Looking back Slash version
by Jaguarin
Summary: This is in alternate fic where Barbara can Walk and takes care of a stubborn Helena Kyle after the young girl's mother is killed.
1. Barbara Gordon & Helena Kyle

**LOOKING BACK**

**PAIRING: H/B**

**FANDOM: BIRDS OF PREY**

**COMMENTS: THANKS TO MY ALWAYS SUPPORTIVE AND COOL EDITOR NIGHTSTALKER, SHE ALAYS HELPS ME A LOT WITH IDEA AND COMMENTS LIKE "HEY THIS SUCKS, WRITE IT AGAIN." FEEDBACK WELCOME**

* * *

The blonde walked through the streets of New Gotham, admiring the tall, incredible buildings. It was the first time she had been there. It was very different from the place where she'd grown up. People walked by, in a hurry. Some had briefcases, papers bags or coats in their hands. It was a sunny day.

She'd taken that bus, jumping into an adventure with no script, no story line and no idea as to where it would end. She stopped on a corner and took out a paper, unfolding it. She saw a man selling newspapers a few steps away from her and she walked toward him. She asked about the address on the paper.

He said she was close, just a few blocks ahead, and the girl kept walking. Soon, she was in front of one of the most elegant and luxurious buildings in the city, the Wayne Building. Only the Clocktower was bigger.

She had seen her image many times in the social pages and on the financial pages of national newspapers. She knew she would find her here. She smiled, feeling excited. Finally, finally she could meet her in person.

A black, noisy motorcycle stopped in front of the building. Wow, that was a cool bike. A young woman dressed in black jumped down. She removed her helmet and a doorman walked toward her.

"Hey, John," she greeted the man.

"Good day, Mrs. Kyle."

The woman was thin, young and brunette. The teenager recognized her immediately. Yes, it was the same girl she had seen in her dreams. What was she doing there? Was it possible that they were connected?

"Where is Barbara?" the dark haired woman asked.

"In the Diamond room, everything is about to start."

"I hate these events, I don't understand why Barbara loves them," she said brushing her hair with her hands and walking inside the building.

"Have a good day."

"Thanks, keep an eye on my bike."

The blonde noticed the doorman was distracted as he took the helmet to a check room and she took the opportunity to step inside the building. It was huge inside, the lobby was enormous. She tried to find the brunette, where had she gone? She noticed her waving at some other employees and was stepping inside an elevator. Her eyes found an electronic board to her left.

Foundation Event – Diamond room – Floor 25.

She hurried to the next elevator and pressed button for the twenty-fifth floor.

She arrived in an elegant room filled with tables and many people. It seemed that this was a big event. Her eyes found the brunette walking between the tables towards the front of the room.

"Your invitation, madam?" a man asked.

"I came with Mrs. Kyle," she hurried to say, pointing at the woman. Maybe it would work. "She told me I can wait for her until the event is over, you know, the speech and all those things…"

"Oh…" the man said. "Do you want me to take you to her table?"

"No, no… I told her I will wait for her here."

"I can give you a seat at one of the back tables."

"Yes, thanks."

Wearing tight, black leather pants and a dark jacket with heavy bike boots, Helena Kyle walked inside the ballroom. She was a beautiful young woman, well known in the most popular and exclusive night clubs of the city and for helping Barbara Gordon, the head of the Wayne Foundation, in her charity events to support kids.

Her mother, Selina Kyle, had once been involved romantically with the owner of the foundation, Bruce Wayne. Selina Kyle had died years ago, murdered by an unknown criminal. Since then, Barbara Gordon had taken Helena under her wing.

Many gossip newspapers and magazines still speculated about whether or not she was the daughter of Bruce Wayne. That pissed off the dark haired woman who, to avoid any kind of comments or more gossip, had refused to receive money or accept a job from the foundation or any of Wayne's corporations. She worked as a bartender at the Dark Horse Bar.

For the same reason, she hated public events like this one, but she liked to support Barbara in her effort to help children around the world.

She found Barbara standing close to the podium, checking some notes. She stopped in her tracks and looked at her. Her jaw dropped. Wow, she was simply stunning in that tight dress. She shook her head, damn, Barbara was the only woman that always made her open her mouth, she just simply found her more beautiful every day.

She looked at herself. Well, she didn't look so bad either. Grinning, she walked toward her former guardian.

Barbara noticed Helena walking toward her. She smiled. She had taken care of the girl since she was a kid and she had found her a good friend, a confident, and a partner in her crime fighting activities. Barbara Gordon was once Batman's protégée, Batgirl.

She was caught in the crossfire of the war between Batman and Joker and she made the decision to fight crime a different way, as master of the cyber realms and a mentor and trainer to heroes.

When Helena's mother died, she'd taken her in and trained her. Together, they fought at night as a team, as the Birds of Prey. By day, she was in charge of the Wayne Foundation.

She had known Helena's mother as a criminal, but when Selina Kyle had quit her wild life; she and Barbara had become good friends. She had learned so much from the other woman, about criminals and about life. She had also taught her to be open minded about her attraction to other women.

She and Helena had created a strong bond after Selina's death, they had come to know and respect each other as people and both kept their hearts closed to the world, except to each other. They shared secrets, thoughts… and when they started their journey as New Gotham's protectors, the bond was even greater.

They never shared affectionate words but, with certain actions and glances, they always showed how important they were to each other. They could say a thousand words with just one look. It was for that reason that they were as extraordinary partners as they were crime fighters.

Barbara enjoyed the company of her young friend, she enjoyed sharing long talks with the brunette. She was intelligent and with an agile mind; a real challenge to her. Helena could be grumpy and rude, but she also had her good moments where she was fun and charming, Helena was enigmatic, a woman of incredible contrasts. She was a sexy woman that practiced flirting as a sport, a lethal weapon that could easily kill with her hands, and big child that loved to watch cartoons and eat pop tarts.

"Hi," Helena greeted.

"Finally," Barbara mumbled, writing something on a paper, "I was wondering where you were."

"Nice to see you too," Helena said, smiling and looking around. The place was full.

The redhead eyed her. Helena was wearing leather again, she loved it. And, well, she looked fantastic in it.

Helena noticed it and winked at her. "Am I gorgeous?"

Barbara listed an eyebrow. "A black leather jacket? Do you think that is proper attire for an important meal?"

"Well," Helena said, waving her hand to some people seated a few tables away from them. "I think it's cool and, by the way, some men are looking at me, I think they believe I look gorgeous."

"Well, I hope it looks cool in the pictures when you give the speech."

"I don't give speeches. I'm just the fashion accessory for your events. You are the business side and you do the speech thing. So, do you think am I breathtaking today?"

"You are always breathtaking." Barbara smiled as she wrote some notes on the papers in front of her.

Helena felt proud of herself and leaned close to the older woman's ear "Good, so… may I propose to you now?" She loved playing the flirting game, knowing she didn't have any hope with the redhead.

"Of course not."

"Why not?"

"You will break a heart tonight, I don't want be responsible." Barbara gave her some papers.

"Me?"

"Yes." Barbara pointed to a table with the pen in her hand. "At our table."

Helena winced, the guy that flirted with Barbara every time he could was at their table, he was an asshole.

"He is after you, not me."

"Yes, and you will break my heart if you don't sit with me. I don't want to sit with him alone."

"Come on, it's not so bad. He is cute," Helena said, amused.

"Sleeping or unconscious, maybe."

"How could you invite that guy to our table? Just because he is a millionaire?" the brunette asked.

"Gazillionaire. Your detective instinct is working well." Barbara smiled. "Remember to be nice, polite and I promise to lend you my red leather jacket."

"And what about marrying me?"

"Let me think about it." The redhead lifted her eyebrow.

"How much did you charge per plate this time?"

"Five thousand dollars," Barbara patted her shoulder, "and he paid fifteen to have a seat close to me. So be nice, please."

"Wow." Helena opened her eyes wide. "Your ass is worth a lot of money, but for me I suppose it's free."

"It's not my ass, it's just a meal. Now go and sit. I must start the event."

"All right, all right," Helena said, rolling her eyes. Well, it seemed it was going to be one of those days. "Just finish all this quickly."

The brunette sighed and turned toward her table where the man waved at her. She gave him a forced smile.

"Hel?" Barbara said.

"Yes?" Helena sighed and turned to see her.

"You are right," Barbara winked to her knowing her big ego, "you look gorgeous."

A big smile spread over the brunette's face. Feeling three feet taller, she walked toward the table.

* * *

After a few hours, Helena felt totally, completely, and incredibly bored… and pissed off. That man insisted on flirting with Barbara. She said she didn't like him, but she seemed be having a good time with him.

The thought of them having a romance made her annoyed and uncomfortable. She thought she had earned enough points now so that Barbara would lend her the red jacket and maybe accept her proposal.

She had played this game with Barbara for long years. The redhead was amused with it and she, well… she could dream that maybe someday Barbara would say yes.

But what chance would she have? He was handsome, tall, a gazillionaire, charming… well, she had to admit, he was charming and Barbara was young, popular, damn beautiful and terribly funny. Many gossip newspapers talked about them having a romance, but Barbara had always denied it.

But now it seemed she was flirting with him, too.

He was moving very close to the redhead whispering something. Helena watched him, it was so obvious he was going to wrap his arm around her back. Old trick.

He suddenly moved his arm around her back and said something to her in her ear. Helena knew her pupils had snapped to gold in anger, for an instant.

He moved back to his seat with his arm still behind the redhead's back.

She leaned toward the redhead and whispered in her ear: "Time to go."

"Oh, yes, it's late," Barbara said, looking at her watch.

The brunette stood up and looked around nervously, waiting Barbara to say goodbye to the man. The redhead stood up after a few seconds and walked toward the exit.

"This guy flirting with you has tested my patience enough." Helena mumbled. "You owe me a date now."

"I promised to lend you my red jacket. We never negotiated a date. And he was flirting with me, not with you."

"Well, I deserve it. I was a good girl today. Want a ride?"

"No, thanks, I brought my car and, besides… you drive like a maniac." Barbara picked up her papers from the table.

"You are jealous of my skills." Helena narrowed her eyes.

"I'm much better than you."

"Friday? Old Gotham Road? The loser buys dinner?"

Barbara straightened and looked at her. "Are you sure?"

Helena smirked "Nine o'clock?"`

"Deal." Barbara pointed at her with her index finger. "I'll want to go to that new French restaurant."

"Ohh… Confident."

"Statistics."

"Statistics?"

"I have kicked your ass in the last four bike races."

"Beginners luck." Helena followed Barbara, who laughed loudly.

Many people stood up to shake their hands. She didn't like the popularity thing. That was better left to Barbara, but she couldn't avoid this. They said goodbye to the people at the table and walked toward the exit.

"I did a great job," Helena said to Barbara as she smiled to an old man. "I convinced him to give you a ton of money to those orphanages in Africa. Now you have to lend me your jacket and your Armani shoes."

"The black ones?" Barbara smiled at a woman and kissed her on her cheek. "Thanks for coming."

"Yep." Helena wondered where all these people had come from. She thought it would be a fast exit and now it seemed it would take a bit longer.

"No way." Barbara waved her hand to a familiar person a few tables away.

"Two million…" Helena sang.

Green eyes turned to look at the brunette in surprise. "You're kidding."

"Nope." The girl smiled at the woman shaking her hand. "When you went to the restroom, I told him how worried you are for those kids and he said he would help. He will send you the check tomorrow. Now, it's the Armani shoes or the date."

"All right, the Armani shoes." the redhead smiled, "but just one night."

"I must be losing my charm."

"Why?"

"You'd rather give me the Armani shoes than go out with me."

"Mmmm.." Barbara murmured noncommittally.

The blonde girl watched them go. She walked between the people, trying to follow them, but it was a bit difficult, both women walked inside the elevator and when she reached it, the doors had closed. She waited impatiently for the next one to arrive.

When she arrived downstairs and be on the lobby both women had gone. She moved her head, annoyed. Well, at least she knew where she could find them; just she needed to wait a bit longer.

* * *

Barbara brushed her hair carefully. She moved her fingers through it, arranging it, and moved back, looking her image on the mirror. Not bad. She adjusted her dress. It fit perfectly on her body. She winked at her image in the mirror. Helena would give her the approval on her dress, she had good taste in women and fashion. She walked outside the bedroom and walked toward the living room, where she knew she would find Helena sprawled on the couch, surfing through the channels.

She stood up at the main entrance of the living room. She was right, Helena was on the couch with an obscenely large bag of popcorn bag between her legs, watching the big screen.

She coughed to get her attention.

The brunette, who had opened her mouth to eat a handful of popcorn, arrested her movement and fixed her gaze on the redhead.

"Wow…" she mumbled. She was stunning.

"Good," Barbara smiled, turning and resting her hands on her waist. Helena's face was a clear sign that she looked good. "I suppose you approve."

The brunette kept still, staring at her and nodded.

"Close your mouth," Barbara said amused, walking toward her and sitting at her side. Helena was incorrigible, she couldn't hide her admiration and fascination for women. "I trust your good judgment, I want to look especially good tonight."

Helena narrowed her eyes. "Are you dating that asshole again?"

"If you mean John, no."

"No?"

"He is fun, but..." she moved her hands "we don't exactly fit."

"So..." Helena asked curiously, "Who are you going out with, then? That boring guy from the party?"

"Of course not."  
"He is handsome. Why haven't you dated him yet?"

"Because I just date one person a time; I was with John."

"He was a record, you dated him ten months. That must be boring."

"My record is Dick, a year and a half. I'm not like you." Barbara took some popcorn from the bag Helena had between her legs and put it inside her mouth. She was a very reserved person. The only person with whom she talked about her private life was Helena. She was stubborn and hard-headed, but, usually, she had good advice.

* * *

Helena hated when Barbara looked flawless in a sexy outfit, like that tight green dress. She left her speechless and set her hormones raging. The redhead didn't seem to notice the effect she had on her.

Barbara sat close to her, she smelled so damn good. She almost jumped in her place when Barbara put her hand inside the popcorn bag resting between her legs. The feeling of the movement of Barbara's hand close to her most sensitive part made it throb. She blushed, praying Barbara hadn't noticed.

"I don't know how you can date three women at the same time," the redhead said watching the television.

"Practice." Helena cleared her throat, moving the popcorn bag to rest on her leg. It would be dangerous for her, if Barbara put her hand inside it again. "So… who is the lucky one tonight?"

"I'm going out with Kelly Smith."

The brunette opened her eyes. It had been a long time since Barbara had dated a woman. And she hated it. It pissed her off more knowing that the redhead was dating a woman than a man. What did Barbara see in them? She was more charming, and beautiful and...

"Kelly Smith?" Helena finally said, "That old business woman?"

"She is not old. She is charming, gorgeous and an excellent conversationist. What are you watching?"

"Wonder Woman. Kelly Smith is way older than you. How could you date someone so old?"

Barbara glared at the brunette. "Look who's talking, you love to date women older than you. And, besides, she is just three years older than me and we are just going out to have fun." The redhead turned her attention to the television screen again. "That show is very old."

"Lynda Carter is gorgeous. Look at that waist. Who cares if the show is old?" Helena cocked her head toward her friend. Barbara dated Kelly for several months a few years ago. She didn't like this; Barbara never dated anyone twice. "You have dated her before, why again? And John? Aren't you with him right now?"

"Well, she has been insisting we go out since I split with John."

"I didn't know you broke up. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because every time I talked about him, you got pissed off."

"It's not my fault, he is an asshole." Helena defended herself. "Why are you dating her again?"

"Well, I thought giving us a second chance was not so bad."

Helena looked at the redhead, but she couldn't hear her. Her eyes fixed on the soft lines of her former guardian's face. She knew Barbara was bi, that she dated women sometimes. Maybe that helped her keep her hope alive that one day Barbara would look at her as a woman, but… she didn't have any chance with her.

Barbara would always look at her as the little sister.

She was pretty young for her -- nine years younger than her, barely out of school and not a penny in her bag; surviving just on her bartender's job. She loved her job, but it was nothing as exciting as the beautiful people Barbara usually dated, people well known in New Gotham high society, with professional degrees, like the redhead. They all had important jobs or were owners of corporations and had lots of money in their bank accounts.

Barbara was elegant, refined, and cosmopolitan.

She surely looked like a sewer rat next to those money giants.

"Yes," the brunette nodded, "She is a good choice for you."

"What?" Barbara looked at her, intrigued. Helena approving of one of her new dates? That was weird.

"Well, she is… she is as high profile as you are and, well, you have a lot in common."

The redhead crossed her arms and rested her back on the couch, crossing her leg. Her dress fell to the side, revealing a strong, well formed leg.

Man. That amount of skin was really a temptation. Helena took a fist full of popcorn and put it inside her mouth, fixing her eyes on the television screen as she tried very hard not to look.

"What about you?" the redhead asked.

"Me?"

"How many people are dating you now?"

"Just two." The brunette shrugged her shoulders. She had a hard time keeping her eyes on the screen and not on Barbara's leg.

"Have you ever thought of having a formal relationship?"

"There's no point."

"Why not?"

"It's boring. I prefer fun and fun girls. Fun girls usually don't want anything serious. I'm happy being free."

"Wild cat, eh?" Barbara sighed, smiling lightly.

"Yeah, right."

The older woman observed her in silence a few seconds and nodded. "I hope someone tames you someday."

Helena turned to look at the other woman. "Why?"

"I'd like to see you happy," Barbara said, resting her hand on the brunette's thigh.

Helena swallowed her popcorn. The warmth in the redhead's eyes, plus her hand on her upper thigh always created a kind of combustion inside her.

"Miss Barbara," Alfred interrupted, suddenly, "Miss Smith is downstairs, waiting for you at the penthouse."

"Oh, excellent." The redhead stood up. "See you later, guys. Don't wait up for me."

"Bye." Helena felt her mouth really dry and not from the popcorn she'd just eaten.

Alfred watched her go. When the elevator doors closed behind her, he said: "Beautiful woman, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She is great," Helena said, absentmindedly staring at the elevator door.

Alfred noticed her silence and smirked at her. "And you? Are going out tonight?"

"Oh no," Helena shook her head, leaning back against the sofa. "The Wonder Woman marathon is pretty good."

"Maybe you need another ten pounds of popcorn."

"Excellent idea."

Alfred chuckled and left the room.

The brunette kept her eyes on the screen, but she couldn't focus on the show, her mind traveled back a few years.

_She landed on the penthouse's balcony after a night out partying. She__ had been out with some friends and it had been fun. She walked inside the penthouse's library. Barbara was there, with her arms wrapped around a strange woman… kissing her._

_Kissing her???_

_At first, she felt stunned. A split second later, she felt her heart breaking in thousands of pieces and, in the next moment, her eyes snapped to gold as angry jealousy consumed her. _

_Barbara felt her presence and moved back, caught by surprise; she didn't expect her. "Helena?"_

"_I see you are busy," the young woman said coldly, staring at Barbara's guest._

"_Why don't you use the main door to come inside the house?" Barbara was annoyed. She hated that Helena was so stubborn and insisted on climbing the walls. _

"_I'm sorry. I forgot the key." Helena said, irritation dripping from her voice._

_The redhead knew it would not be good to argue in front of her friend. She extended her hand toward her. "Karen, this is Helena, my ward; Helena, this is Karen, an old friend."_

"_Hi Helena." Karen gave her hand to the brunette. "Barbara has told me a lot about you."_

_The teenager eyed her, she was a stunning woman. Beautiful. It made Helena angrier._

"_Yeah?" she said dryly. "She never told me about you."_

"_Well, we have just been dating a few days."_

"_Oh, dating." Helena moved her head, looking Barbara. She was dating someone and she hadn't say a word to her and, worst, it was a woman. She didn't know Barbara dated women._

"_How did you come in by the balcony?" Karen looked behind her toward the open windows. "The building is pretty high."_

"_We have a back door," the redhead hurried to say. She noticed Helena's reaction and took her by her arm. "I'll be right back, Karen. Helena and I must talk a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable."_

_Helena pulled her arm back. "Why? I would like to get to know her." She smiled at Karen "You seem very nice."_

"_This is a private date," Barbara growled, waving toward the door. "Come with me."_

"_It was a pleasure," she said, not meaning it, and stepped outside._

"_Be right back." Barbara said. She followed the young girl out of the room, closing the door behind her. She took Helena's arm and pulled her toward her room. She knew all about Helena's tantrums. She was always jealous when anyone tried to get close to her family. She remembered having seen it several times when Selina was planning on going out on a date. Helena was not going to screw up her night._

_As soon as she locked the door behind them, she faced Helena. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?" the brunette asked her, angrily._

"_Why are you walking inside the house using the balcony?" Barbara crossed her arms over her chest. "I have told you many times not to climb the building! Use the door."_

"_You are gay! Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_I'm not gay." Barbara rolled her eyes._

"_You were kissing her!" Helena waved her hands, exasperated._

"_I'm bi, Helena."_

_The brunette blinked, it took her a few seconds to react. "Why didn't you tell me? I told you I was gay… why didn't you tell me you are bi?" _

"_Because I didn't see the point, we were talking about you, not me."_

"_The point is… is.." the brunette suddenly found herself stuck, not able to express herself, "is… is… is that you are bi!"_

"_So?" Barbara cocked her head. "You are gay."_

_The brunette growled, glaring at her._

"_Don't growl at me! You know I hate when you do that!"_

"_What about me?" Helena faced her, wanting scream to her that she loved her, that she had seen her first. Seeing her in another woman's arms made her crazy. _

"_What about you?" Barbara frowned. She was not going to do the number that she used to do on Selina in her jealous reactions. "Helena, I will not tolerate your tantrums!"_

_The brunette, furious, turned her head buffing. This was not a tantrum! Why couldn't Barbara see it? She always thought Barbara was straight, but now she had discovered she was bisexual, and, and, and… and she was there! Why couldn't she see her as a woman? _

_Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose and put her other hand on her waist. Helena was like a big child. She was afraid of losing the only place she felt was home and the only person that she saw as family: her. _

"_No one can change what is between us," the redhead said, softening her voice._

"_No?" the teenager turned. Her eyes shone, for a second she felt she had hope._

"_No," Barbara took a step toward her and waved her hand on the air. "She is… she is just a friend. You are different, you are special to me."_

_Helena fixed her eyes on Barbara, who looked at her gently. _

"_Me?"_

"_You always will be." _

_Helena stared at her. Would she give her a chance? _

"_Do you love me?"_

_Barbara smiled at her. Her green eyes had that sparkle that she loved. The redhead moved toward her, wrapping her arms around her. "Of course I love you."_

_The young girl hugged her back strongly, she wanted to believe it was true. She was saying she loved her. _

"_Don't be silly," Barbara added. "You're my girl."_

_Helena inhaled deeply, she loved her smell. Barbara felt so good under her hands. "I love you, Barbara," she whispered, rubbing her face against the redhead's cheek._

"_I love you too, Helena. I will always love you," Barbara said and chuckled. "Don't you know? You are the best little sister I could have ever had."_

_Helena moved back, suddenly. Barbara didn't love her, she didn't feel as she did. She just looked at her as a kid._

"_What's wrong?" the older woman asked, noticing Helena was staring at her in confusion._

_The brunette shook her head._

"_Hel…" Barbara sighed and crossed her arms. "When you told me you were gay I understood you, because…. because I know what it's like when a woman catches your eye. I love to date men, but sometimes it's nice to be with a woman." She scratched her head. "Look, maybe I should have told you before, but the moment was never right. I'm a very discreet person. I respect you and this house. It was just a kiss, I was trying to be discreet in my library. I never expected that you would appear suddenly. The logic was that you would knock on the door. I'm sorry, we share many things, I should have explained this to you before."_

_Helena rubbed her eyes, feeling confused. She had thought for a second that Barbara shared her feelings._

"_I don't want you to feel pushed away. You are my family, Helena, you are an important part of my life. I don't want you to feel threatened when I'm dating someone. You are unique, special. No one could take your place."_

"_Yeah, sure…" the brunette growled, turning her back to the older woman._

"_Helena…"_

_The teenager left the room without another word. _

Helena's mind came back to the present. She was now 23, Barbara 31. She didn't mind the age thing, but it seemed it would always make the redhead look at her as her best friend's daughter, the girl that once was her protégé; and now, the young woman with a bartender's job that spent her nights being a crime fighter as Huntress' partner of the Oracle.

She was just that, nothing more.

What a load of crap.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Unexpected message

**Title: Looking back **

**Fandom: Birds of Prey**

**Pairings: (B/H)**

**Ratings: Now PG13**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Birds of Prey or any character created by WB used in this story. **

**Author's Notes: This is the Slash version of a fic in an alternate world where Barbara can walk...**

**Feedback: Welcome.**

**Special thanks to my dear and lovely editor Nightstalker.**

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* * *

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* * *

It was Barbara's birthday, she had organized a lunch and some close friends of the Foundation were there. It was a sunny day and the place was full of people. Helena was not a big fan of big events, but, well, it was Barbara's birthday.

She parked her bike outside the place and put her helmet on it. She took a small box gift from her pocket. She looked at it a few seconds in silence. It had been a really expensive purchase, she would need to do some extra double-shifts for almost two months, but Barbara was worth it.

"Hi."

She turned her head and noticed a blonde girl standing a few steps from her.

"Hi," she said.

The blonde looked at her, amazed. "Wow," she said… you are just like in my dream."

Helena frowned and looked around, was she talking to her?

"You just cut your hair," the girl said.

"Are you all right, kid?" She was a teenager, not older than seventeen.

"Yes," the blonde said. "I thought you were a dream, like her, but, no, you are real, I'm not crazy."

"I hope not," Helena said and walked toward the party. That kid was weird.

"Don't go."

"I'm sorry, I'm late, see you."

"Could you please give this to her?" Dinah ran to reach her.

"What?"

Dinah extended her hand to her and gave her a folded paper. "To her, to Miss Gordon."

"Sure…" Helena put the piece of paper in her pocket and stepped inside the place. She called the man at the front door.

"Yes, Miss Kyle?"

"Don't let her in, I think the girl is a little nuts." The brunette circled her index finger next to her ear.

Helena walked inside and looked around trying to find Barbara, wondering why she liked to be surrounded by so many noisy people. She finally saw her and grinned, she was wearing a tan dress with no sleeves. Her hair, brightened under the sun's rays, made her look gorgeous.

She walked toward her, taking her present in her hand.

"Hey," Helena greeted.

"Hey," Barbara smiled and it seemed she was smiling just at her, and no one else was around.

Suddenly, a woman moved between them and hugged Barbara, giving her a quick kiss on her lips. The woman was tall, with dark hair and soft features; she could be easily on a Rolling Stone magazine cover. Why did Barbara like to date models?

"Happy birthday, honey!"

Helena recognized her, it was Kelly. She growled low, feeling pissed.

"Look at your present." Kelly extended a long box to the redhead.

"Oh. Thanks…"

"But open it now."

"Don't be impatient," Barbara laughed and unwrapped it. She opened her eyes in amazement. It was a stunning platinum watch.

"It has a small diamond." Kelly said. "The best for the best."

"Thanks."

Helena hid her small box in her hand.

Kelly helped Barbara put her wristwatch on, then gave her another fast kiss and hugged her. Helena glared at them. She wondered how far she could send that woman flying with one push. She took a step back-- maybe she would come back later.

Barbara turned at that moment and smiled at her.

"Hey, you are late."

"Sorry, work…" she said.

"Come here." Barbara extended her arms and hugged her.

Helena hugged her back, it was wonderful to have her so close. She wished she could stay there forever.

"I'm glad you are here," the redhead said. "I thought you would avoid my party."

"Oh, never, Babs…"

"Kelly, this is Helena." The redhead took Helena's arm.

"Hi, nice to meet you. Barbara always talks about you."

"Hi." The brunette moved her hand inside her pocket and Barbara noticed her movement.

"And, what is that?" she asked curiously.

"Uh? Nothing?"

When the redhead noticed the brunette was blushing, she knew was hiding something. "Come on, Helena, let me see."

"It's nothing…" Helena mumbled, lowering her head, but Barbara put her hand over her pocket.

"It's a box,,, is it a gift for me?".

"No, well… yes…" she was cornered, she took the small present and gave it to her. "It's nothing…"

Barbara took it and smiled happily as she unwrapped it. "Let's see…"

It was a bracelet. Barbara gave her an open smile that Helena was sure was fake. Compared to that wristwatch, her gift was a crap.

"It's wonderful, Helena, I love it!"

The brunette shrugged her shoulders and blushed when Barbara leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"Thanks so much!"

"It's nice," Kelly said. "You can find it in any store."

Helena glared at the woman.

"Come on, Barbara." Kelly took the bracelet and put it back in its box again. She pulled Barbara by her arm. "Come cut your birthday cake."

The brunette sighed, watching looking her go. She hated these parties. She took a beer from a waitress that walked by and drank it. She looked around, the place was full with familiar and unfamiliar people. She needed to distract herself from thinking of -- and looking at—Barbara. She was already angry and sad watching her flirt with that woman.

"You must be Helena Kyle."

The brunette turned and saw a young woman standing close to her. She was not bad looking. Well, she was actually really good looking.

"Hi," she greeted, offering her best smile.

"I'm Suzy Thomas."

"Nice to meet you." The brunette extended her hand.

"I've read a lot about you in the newspapers."

"Don't believe everything you read," Helena said. "I'm worse."

The girl chuckled. "You seem bored. I'm new in the company and I don't know many people. Would you mind if we talk?"

The dark haired woman looked at her curiously. The girl looked nice, she was almost her own age. "Sure, I can introduce you to some people here." She moved her head to her right. "For example, do you see that woman in the red dress, close the barbecue?"

"Yes."

"Be careful when she invites you to lunch. She never has a penny in her bag and you end up paying for everything."

The girl laughed.

* * *

"You should be nicer to Helena," Barbara said to Kelly.

"I am nice," the woman said, drinking a glass of wine. They were finishing a pleasant dinner in one of the most luxurious restaurants in the city.

"You were rude to her this afternoon," the redhead pointed out, finishing her dessert.

"Barbara, could you please stop to talking about her for one second?" Kelly said, exasperated.

"I'm just asking you to be nice to her."

The woman rested her back on the chair and glared at the redhead.

"What?" Barbara frowned.

"I'm jealous, can't you see it?"

"Jealous? Why?"

"You talk about her all the time!" Kelly said, feeling frustrated. "She pisses me off because it's the only thing you ever talk!"

Barbara blinked.

"Look," Kelly continued, wiping her mouth "You need to clear your mind and make a decision."

"Kelly, we are dating, we…"

Kelly crossed her arms on the table, "You are a wonderful woman, an amazing woman, really Barbara, but every time you are with me, you are not with me. Your mind is in another place, and that place is Helena because you don't stop talking about her. You love her…you are in love with her."

"No, of course not. You are misunderstanding." Barbara shook her head.

"Barbara, please!"

"Look…" the redhead said "you are wrong, she is my best friend's daughter, she was my ward, she is younger than me… she…"

"Sure, and?"

"Aren't those enough reasons?"

"Barbara…" Kelly interrupted her "Stop lying to yourself."

"I can't love her, Kelly."

"Sorry, honey, it's too late. You are already do and you haven't realized it yet."

Barbara moved uncomfortably in her chair. "Kelly, I don't want to argue, I just want to have a pleasant night with you."

"Me too, but I can't when your mind is elsewhere."

"I'd like you to understand that I'm here with you because I choose to be with you, but if this is not enough for you, I'm sorry. I can't do more."

* * *

It had been a disastrous date. Barbara dropped her bag on her bed and she fell on it, looking at the ceiling.

Was she that obvious?

She was beginning to worry about her own behavior. What she was doing was not good. She turned her head to her right and noticed the small box, that Helena had given her, at the top of her bag.

She took it from the bag and opened it. She looked at the bracelet. It was beautiful, with a small cat hanging on it. She turned it and read a message on the inside: "Will you marry me now?"

She laughed, Helena always joked with her about that… and she wished she could. She wondered what would happen if, some day, she asked that question to the brunette.

She put the bracelet on her wrist and went to change into her costume.

After a few minutes she was dressed in her Batgirl suit and balancing between New Gotham buildings. She landed smoothly on the rooftop of a building next to the Dark Horse bar. Helena had left her party without saying goodbye. Thanking her for the bracelet would be a good excuse to see her.

She checked her watch, it was not so late, ten minutes after eleven, surely Helena would finish her shift soon.

She was right. A few minutes later, the younger woman exited the bar by the back door. She looked as beautiful as always, she was preparing to jump and surprise her when she heard the brunette's name. She looked down, a girl was calling Helena's name.

Helena extended her arms and the girl jumped to her.

It was the same girl she had met at her birthday party, the new office assistant, Suzy. Helena spun her around a few times as they laughed, before Helena put the girl down. With Helena's arm around the girl's waist, they started walking. The girl gave Helena a kiss on her cheek and said something to her. She could imagine the brunette was chuckling and she noticed the brunette holding the girl tight against her.

She couldn't suppress a hint of anger.

But why was she angry? She didn't have any right. She had her own life and Helena had her life. Maybe Kelly was right and she needed to organize her thoughts, she was confused.

What was she doing here, anyway?

She turned and, taking her jumpline, she swung to the next building.

* * *

After a long day of meetings, the redhead picked up her briefcase and walked toward her car. Her cell rang and she checked the ID, it was her office.

"Barbara Gordon," she answered.

Miss Gordon, Good afternoon.

"Hi Carol. How are you?"

Fine, are you returning to your office today?

"No, I'm done," she said, opening her car. "It was a long day with the bank. Any messages?"

Yes, a blonde girl has been looking for you, she said her name is Dinah.

"Do I know her?" She put her briefcase on the back seat.

No, she said you don't know her, but she needs talk with you. She didn't want to give me any more info.

"Well, I'll check on that tomorrow."

She said it's urgent and that she will look for you today. She said she would be close to the clock.

"Close to the clock?" Barbara exhaled, moving inside her car. "There are hundreds of clocks around the city. Tomorrow, we will talk about this."

Miss Kyle called you, too.

Barbara felt her heart thumping faster. "What did she say?"

She said not to forget you appointment with her today at nine on the hills.

"She said that?" Barbara smiled to herself.

Yes.

"Call her back, tell her I'll be there."

* * *

The motorcycles raced at high speed through the streets of New Gotham. The black one crossed dangerously between two parked cars to take a short cut. Using a piece of wood as a ramp, it jumped another car and landed smoothly on the ground.

The driver used her leg to help the bike make a fast turn and then pressed the accelerator. The bike moved quickly inside a hallway and through a fake wall that dropped into the floor, allowing the bike to cross the easily.

The black bike skidded to a stop and the driver parked close to a wall. The driver put the brake on and removed her helmet. Barbara's flushed face appeared. She put her helmet under her arm and she smiled at her partner that was arriving on a red bike.

"Excellent race," Barbara said.

"Yeah, it was cool." The brunette parked her bike. "But that damn cat screwed up my race. I could have one if he hadn't crossed in front of me."

The redhead laughed. "You scared the poor thing."

"The 'poor thing' almost made me hit a parked car." Helena removed her helmet.

"Well, I'm glad to see your driving skills are improving." Barbara moved off her bike.

"Next time you will be looking at my ass the whole time…" Helena walked toward the elevator with her helmet under her arm "But, after all, it's not so bad looking at your ass."

"Sure." Barbara shook her head in amusement and pressed the button to call the elevator.

"How was your date with Kelly last night?" Helena asked.

"On a scale from zero to ten, I give it a two."

Helena had a hard time trying to hide the big smile taking over her face as she stepped inside the hidden elevator.

"What happened?" the brunette asked, trying to sound normal.

"We tried to have a pleasant evening, but it just didn't work."

"I hope she wasn't a moron with you."

"Oh, no, she was nice, very nice… sweet, but things just didn't fit. You know, these things happen." Barbara pushed the penthouse button.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Have you ever been on a date that didn't work… you tried, but it just didn't work?"

"Often."

"Often?" Barbara lifted her eyebrow. "I thought all your dates were successful."

"They are, but none ever have long term potential." Helena shrugged her shoulders.

"I though you were not interested in long term relationships."

"I'm too young to be compromised."

Barbara lifted her hand and pushed up her sleeve, showing Helena the bracelet.

The brunette was proud, seeing her gift on the older woman's arm

"So why did you ask me to marry you again?"

"Uh, oh"… Helena tried to sound casual. "Well… I'm looking to the future."

"Future?" Barbara chuckled.

"Yes, I know you don't want to marry me now, but maybe I can convince you to drop Kelly… and, if I'm lucky, in ten or twenty years you might agree to marry me. Surely, by then, I'd love to be taken and more so if it's you."

"Good thinking. I guess that's why you have a new girl in your sights."

The brunette looked at her.

"You are fast." Barbara said "I know you have been dating Suzy, Carol's new assistant. She's only been on the job for fifteen days and you already have your eye on her."

"How do you know?"

"I'm an Oracle, I know everything, remember?" Barbara said with a grin, as they arrived to the penthouse.

"It was nothing."

"Sure."

"I call the Jacuzzi first." Helena jumped out, moving gracefully and trying to change the subject. She put a hand inside her pocket and gave Barbara a folded paper. "Hey, a girl gave me this for you yesterday and I forgot to give it to you."

"Thanks." The redhead took the paper.

Helena hopped toward the bathroom. Barbara couldn't avoid following the younger woman with her eyes. The brunette was wearing an incredible suit that fit her body perfectly. She looked amazing, she was amazing. Helena could wear a paper bag and look sexy in it.

How could she tell her she couldn't find anyone as perfect as Helena? Kelly was right. Every time she'd dated a woman, she was searching for someone like her and she couldn't avoid comparing them with her?

She sighed and stepped out of the elevator. She put her helmet on the table and let herself fall on the couch. "Don't splash the water out of the Jacuzzi."

"It's not me," the brunette shouted from the end of the hallway, "it's my rubber duck."

"Tell your duck to be polite then." Barbara took a magazine and opened it.

Helena had been her protégée, her best friend and, suddenly, Helena had grown up to be an incredible woman. A woman that, one day, she had realized she loved.

First, she had noticed that she liked to be with her, she found herself watching the clock, waiting impatiently for her to arrive. The first time the idea of being in love with the brunette hit her over the head, she thought she was crazy and imagining things.

….Until Helena's 20th birthday, that day she looked so beautiful; the moment that the young woman had appeared at her door, ready to celebrate her day, she had been speechless. Helena was breathtaking. They'd shared an incredible evening and she felt tempted for the first time in her life to kiss her.

She'd felt guilty about it. She was the daughter of her best friend. Helena had confessed to her that she liked woman and maybe it would mean taking advantage of her. She didn't want that.

With time, watching the brunette from a distance, she understood that Helena that didn't like serious relationships, being involved with her would surely end in disaster. She didn't want to screw up the friendship they shared. She preferred to keep the younger woman close. Helena was full of life.

Helena's twenty-first birthday was a sad day, Helena announced that she was moving to her own place. It hurt, but she knew it was good for both of them. The brunette needed her space, and Barbara needed to forget her absurd idea of being in love with her.

But now Helena was twenty-three and the feeling, if her mind was correct, had grown instead disappearing.

Barbara looked at herself in the mirror on the other side of the room. Well, she didn't look bad, she was sure she had her own fan club, but Helena was definitely too far to reach. Barbara was too old, almost eight years older. Helena looked at her as a big sister. The idea was absurd and Helena wasn't interested in love, just in having fun.

It was normal, Helena loved to party… and she liked concerts, calm evenings, pleasant dinners. They had different tastes, another point against her.

Helena always played her flirting game, sometimes she wished it was real, but, in the end, it was just that, a game.

"Miss Barbara?" Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler, was standing in front of her. He helped with the cleaning and cooking. The cooking was something that she definitely hadn't been born to do, and Helena even less so.

"Yes?"

"Your secretary called, she said that a girl was looking for you all day and she didn't want to give her name. Your secretary answered that it was difficult because your schedule was busy with breaking traffic laws at night."

"She told me, except for the traffic thing." Barbara glared at him.

"All right, the last sentence was my contribution." He chuckled and extended a note to her. "Want some coffee?."

"Please." Barbara opened the folded paper Helena had given her. She opened her eyes wide. It couldn't be possible.

"Alfred…" she called her loyal friend.

"Yes, Miss Barbara?"

"Tell Helena I need to see her upstairs now. " she jumped off the couch and hurried toward an elevator hidden at the base of her penthouse.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. A new guest

**_Juat a line to say thanks to my editor Nightstalker.... You are great buddy!!_**

* * *

The elevator connected to the Clock floor, where she'd built a hideout with sophisticated computers and advanced electronic systems.

When she stepped outside the elevator, she was in a huge place. She had adapted the Clocktower into a comfortable work area with two levels that included a living room and kitchen, where she and Helena could work comfortably on their crime fighting nights.

She began to work at her computer system, Delphi. She could hack into any place at any moment. After a few minutes, Alfred appeared.

"Miss Helena is coming. I forgot to ask, how was the charity event?" he asked.

"Fantastic, I raised a lot more than I expected," she said, pressing some keys on her keyboard. "I think we can do some good work in Africa now."

"That is excellent news."

"Yes, now I can develop the programs I have been planning."

"Thank my ass for that two million!" Helena shouted, appearing at the elevator doors with her wet hair. She was wearing an oversized sweater and red pants.

The redhead lifted her head as she sat on a chair in front of her main computer. "Thank your own ass and bring it over here, we have work to do. Something weird happened."

"Tonight? Hello? Fashion Week in New York is on television," Helena said, pointing toward the big plasma upstairs.

"Good. I don't want you going to buy new clothes. Your credit card needs a break." Barbara typed her password on the computer screen.

"Hey, I can't use the same outfit every time I fight against bad guys."

"Well, I don't think the 'bad guys' notice it," Alfred chuckled, stepping onto the platform with a tray of tea. "Every night you fight against different ones."

Helena rested her hip on a desk close to Barbara. "Some of them have a kind of membership with me. I have sent them to jail two or three times. It would be rude to always wear the same outfit."

"Your sense of fashion overwhelms me." Barbara opened the main window on the Delphi. "Now, look at this."

"It's the paper I gave you, no?"

"Yes."

Helena took it in her hands and frowned. "Who wrote this?"

"You told me some girl gave it to you."

"Yes, a blonde girl, a teenager… she asked me to give it to you, she wanted to talk with you… but, she couldn't know what this means."

"13220217" Barbara said. "It is the secret code to access the Clocktower. She knows it. What else did she say?"

"Nothing else… she could be a serial killer."

"A teen that says she wants to talk with you does not fit the profile of a typical serial killer."

"You need to watch Chucky."

Barbara ignored the comment and leaned back in her chair, playing with a pen in her hand. "My secretary told me a teenager has been looking for me. She said she will try to contact me at the Clock."

"Well, maybe she is standing out in front of the Clocktower waiting for you right now."

Barbara glared at her, but something made her turn to her computer and press some keys on her keyboard.

"What are you doing?" Helena asked, intrigued.

"Doing what you suggested."

"Barbara, I was joking."

The image of a teenager standing on the sidewalk in front of the Clocktower appeared.

"Must be her." The redhead stood up.

Helena leaned over the monitor. "Is that 'Chucky'?"

Barbara walked toward the elevator. "Stay here."

"Why can't I go with you?" Helena followed her.

"You scare people."

"That is the 'point' of being a crime fighter."

"She is just a kid." The elevator doors closed.

"Do you remember 'Black in Men II'?" the brunette asked her mentor, ignoring the instruction to stay put. "The innocent flower on the grill? When the guy pulled it, it was not a flower, it was a hair on the head of a giant worm that was almost a half mile long."

"I don't think she will transform into a half mile long giant worm." Barbara crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow.

"You never know. Maybe she is a cannibal."

"Maybe she eats cats, too."

"Hey, don't go there."

* * *

Dinah rubbed her arms, it was getting cold. She looked around; maybe the woman hadn't understood her message. She had known when she touched the brunette that this was their place. She had seen her pressing that number to a hidden elevator. She was sure the woman would look for her. She really needed talk with her about her dreams, about her visions.

Suddenly, the main door of the building opened and she appeared. The teenager couldn't avoid a big smile. The brunette from her dreams that she had also seen that afternoon was with her, but she stayed on the other side of the sidewalk while the older woman walked toward her.

"Hi," the girl greeted, smiling.

"Hi. Do you want talk with me?" Barbara asked, stopping in front of her. The girl didn't seem dangerous or threatening.

"Yes. Thanks." The young girl felt excited. It was not a vision, she was real. "I'm Dinah, Dinah Collins."

"Would you agree that your invitation to talk was unusual?" the redhead asked, crossing her arms.

"Yes…" the girl said shyly, "I'm sorry, but it was the only way, it's difficult to with a person like you and you would never believe me." She looked up at the redhead again and her face lit up.

"You are like in my dream."

Barbara narrowed her eyes. "What dream?"

"I saw you in my dream, and her…" she moved her hand toward Helena, who was ready to pounce on her if she tried to touch a hair on Barbara's head.

"Did you see us in your dreams?"

"Yes." The teen nodded. "When I was a child, I saw you. I saw a man with his face painted in white, he shot you and… she, she was younger, and she was crying over a woman lying on the ground. I had the same dream over and over for years. Something pushed me to come here and look for you."

Barbara bit her lips, analyzing the girl's story. It seemed the girl had developed special skills. She surely was a meta. "And how did you know about the code?"

"When I touched her hand," Dinah said quietly, looking at her shoes.

"Who's had?"

The blonde looked toward the palce where Helena was standing. Barbara's eyebrows shot up. That was an interesting confession. The teenager didn't seem to know she was metahuman "Can you read minds when you touch people?"

The teen looked up. "Yes… When I touched herr hand, I saw this place, I knew I would find you here."

"Your parents know about this?"

"I don't have parents." The girl lowered her head again. She took a deep breath. "I don't have anywhere to go. I traveled all night by bus just to find you."

"Why do you want talk with me?" Barbara asked her.

"I think you can help me." The teenager nervously moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Help you? Help you how?"

"My dreams sent me to you. There must be a reason. I thought maybe you could figure it out… I know you are a very important person and that you are busy, but I thought…"

Barbara touched her chin thoughtfully, as she observed the girl. "When did the dream start?"

"When I was a child, maybe five or six years old." The blonde lowered her head "I don't want scare you, people always look at me as if I'm weird and think I'm freak…"

"Avoid that word…" Barbara gazed at Helena. "It's not exactly her favorite word. Have you eaten anything today?"

The girl shook her head.

"Wait here a moment," Barbara said, turning to walk toward the building.

Dinah nodded.

The brunette felt nervous, she didn't like the girl. She was tapping her foot. She noticed the redhead coming towards her.

"What did Chucky say?" she asked.

"I think she is meta," Barbara said with her arms crossed, looking at the ground for a few seconds before facing her partner, "and she doesn't know it."

"What does she want?" Helena asked.

"I don't think she knows exactly, she just knew she needed to find us."

"Us? As in you and me?"

"I told you she might eat cats." Barbara chewed at her lower lip.

"Why did she need to find us?" The brunette glared in the girl's direction.

"She may be telepathic, and she has visions. In some of her visions, she saw you and me. She doesn't have any family, her friends think she is weird, and she traveled all night to find us. It's late, it's cold, she hasn't eaten…"

"What are you going to do?" Helena asked suspiciously, having a pretty good idea of what Barbara had in mind.

"First, invite her to dinner, then run some tests on her to check her skills."

"Barbara…tell me you are kidding."

"No," Barbara said seriously.

"What if Chucky takes a knife and stabs you?" Helena growled.

"Helena, don't be silly. She could get inside the Tower without us. She knew how to get inside! She is just a kid!"

"No, no, definitely no." the brunette shook her head.

Barbara waved her hand to the girl, who smiled and ran toward them.

"Perhaps I didn't express myself well," Helena said.

"Be polite, please," Barbara said.

"I don't usually welcome possible murderers."

The blonde stood close to them.

Barbara put her hand over the kid's shoulder. "Helena, this is Dinah…"

"Hi, nice to meet you." The blonde shook the brunette's hand effusively. Many images flowed inside Dinah's mind: Helena jumping between rooftops, fighting in the street.

Helena jerked her hand away at the same time as Dinah.

"Hey!" she shouted.

"I'm sorry…" the teenager mumbled.

"What happened?" Barbara asked.

"She was inside my head!" the brunette accused.

"I'm sorry," Dinah apologized. "I didn't mean to, it's just that I can't control it..."

"Do you lurk inside everybody's heads?"

"All right, all right." Barbara waved her hands, stopping the verbal war that seemed to be erupting. "Come with us, I'd like run some tests on you."

Helena stared at the redhead.

Barbara ignored her and pushed the girl inside gently.

The brunette rolled her eyes and followed her.

* * *

Dinah finished her fifth pizza slice after Barbara had scanned her brain.

The redhead sat in the living room of her apartment and analyzed the results on her laptop. Helena glared at the teen, as she sat on the couch next to the redhead. She still could not understand how the older woman could let a stranger into her apartment. At least she hadn't taken her up to the Clock Tower.

"I saw you two do amazing things," Dinah said, licking her fingers. "Are you superheroes?"

"To hell with the secret identity thing." Helena grumbled in a low voice.

"You saw what?" Barbara turned her head to look at the blonde.

"When I touched Helena… well," the teenager lowered her head "when I touched you I saw it too, fighting? Working in a cool place with computers and big equipment?"

"Oh…" Barbara moved her head, for some reason the girl's comment didn't surprise her. It was obvious it would happen.

"I'll never let you touch me again," Helena growled at the blonde.

"Hel…" Barbara warned.

"What if she picks up some of my party nights?" the brunette said.

"Your 'wild' party nights," Barbara corrected, lowering her eyeglasses to look her straight in her eyes "You are right, that would mean perverting a minor."

"They are not wild. They are…" Helena paused, waving one of her hands in circles, "…animated, unexpected, happy…"

"…and wild." Barbara lifted her eyebrow.

"Well… just, just a bit, but not much…"

"What does that thing that you put on my head do, exactly? Dinah asked, taking another slice of pizza.

"Well," Barbara scratched her nose and looked again at the screen of her laptop, "it tells me if there's any biological evidence of the abilities you say you have -- in other words, if you're meta-human."

"Meta what?" Dinah asked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." The redhead sighed, in some things, all the teenagers were the same. It was a bad habit that Helena still had, too.

"Oh… sorry…" the blonde covered her mouth.

"In most people, less than five percent of their neural cells are active. Your cerebral-cortex activity is ..." the computer beeped. Barbara looked at the results and paused. "... Over fifty percent."

"So it's true," the kid sighed "--I'm officially a Freak."

"Hey, watch it with the "F" word." Helena growled, drinking from her can of soda.

"There are people in the world, Dinah -- a lot of people -- with abilities beyond what we think of as human." Barbara stood up and put her laptop on the couch. "Um, not too many humans have the same gifts. Don't ask me where the powers come from. No one knows. Natural mutations, biological experiments –"

"There's been some weird stuff from meteor showers," Helena added.

"So there are others like me?" Dinah asked.

"Yes, there are people that have special skills like you." Barbara smiled at the teenager, understanding how difficult things had been for her. "The point is, you're one of a long line of people who had to hide what they are."

"Why?"

"People don't understand what a meta human is and feel afraid of them, of people like you…" Barbara said smiling, gently. "There are many people like you."

"So, I'm like you?" Dinah asked, hopefully.

"Uh," Barbara scratched her head "like Helena, technically. I'm not meta-human."

"But you're both heroes and you save people." .

Reluctantly, the redhead accepted that fact. "Right…."

"I want to join!" Dinah said happily.

" What?" the brunette almost choked on her soda.

"No." Barbara waved her hands, "Wait…"

"Why not?" the teen looked at them.

"Sorry," Helena said, standing up and wiping her pants with a napkin, "we don't have an opening for junior supergirl."

"You can't stay here," the redhead tried to explain. "You have to go home."

"Do you honestly think I'd get on a bus and come to a city where I didn't know a soul, with no money and no job, if I had a place to go back to?" she sighed and shook her head. "I mean, I came to New Gotham looking for something, and I didn't even know what it was, but now I do."

"Now you do?" Helena made a face.

"My dreams brought me here."

Helena lifted her hand and made a sign to the redhead "Can I talk to you ... now?"

Barbara glanced back at Dinah and asked with her hand to wait a few minutes. She walked toward the kitchen where Helena had gone.

"She is not a meta human," the brunette whispered to the cyber vigilante. "She is out of her mind."

"She is confused," Barbara said, taking a deep breath.

"You can't seriously be considering this." Helena crossed her arms.

Barbara looked at Dinah thoughtfully and mumbled, "A few hundred years ago, a girl like that would have been burned at the stake."

"Yeah, she's freaking me out right now." Helena exclaimed in low voice extending her arms, "What if you let her sleep here tonight and she gets up at midnight when you are showering and she stabs you?"

"Has it occurred to you that you watch too many horror movies?" Barbara put her hands on her hips.

"I'm worried about you."

"It's just one night, Helena. One."

The girl shook her head.

"I remember another girl with no place to go who fell asleep on that couch," Barbara reminded her.

Angry, the brunette lifter her index, "Don't…"

"Please… Tomorrow she will be calmer and we can talk with her. She doesn't have anywhere to go."

Helena closed her eyes, she hated that Barbara had such a big heart. She easily was moved by such sad stories. She might as well have had the word "sucker" tattooed to her forehead.

"No, Barbara. Definitely no… and no. And no, again."

* * *

The redhead tried to read her book. Usually she could easily concentrate, but with such movement in her room, it was impossible and, besides, she was exhausted. It had been a long day and she had several meetings the next day. She lowered her book and removed her eyeglasses to pinch the bridge of her nose, trying to remain calm.

"Helena," she said looking at the brunette, "Don't you think this is a little ridiculous?"

"Do you know that many people are dying to sleep with me?" Helena hit her pillow a few times. The brunette was trying to make herself comfortable on the small couch that was in the redhead's room, because the couch in the living room was occupied by Dinah. Her old room was now a study with no beds. Definitely, she would buy another bed tomorrow and put it inside that room. One never knew when it would be useful.

"Tell me, then, why you are not sleeping with one of your thousands of fans?"

"I like to sleep with you." Helena winked at her.

"I'm sure that Dinah is not going to show up at midnight to kill me." Barbara put her book on her night table as her glasses.

"You never know," Helena said, lying on the couch. Crap, her feet were hanging off the couch.

"I think she is a sweet girl that has always been tormented for her extraordinary gifts. Furthermore, I resent the ongoing implication that I can't take care of myself. I was Batgirl, you know."

"What do you have in mind exactly, Barbara?" Helena asked, ignoring the protest. She rested her head on the pillow and stared to the ceiling.

"Investigate her." Barbara lay down on her bed and covered herself with the blankets "If she is telling me the truth, then she needs help. I programmed Delphi. Now, it's doing research with the information I have about her. It's really interesting her dreams have guided her to us."

"To you, I'll pass." The brunette moved on the couch to her side. It really was uncomfortable. "Suppose she is telling the truth. What are you going to do?"

"Help her." Barbara said, covering her eyes with her left arm. She felt so tired, she just wanted close her eyes and sleep.

"How? Will you create a Meta-Human Help Foundation?" Helena moved to her knees and changed her position on the couch "People will think you are crazy."

"I can guide her and show her how to use her powers, as I did with you…" Barbara paused. "But after seeing you, I'm not sure if I do good work."

"Ha, ha, very funny." The younger woman rested her head on the pillow again.

"Are you finished?" Barbara lifted her head to look at the brunette. "May I turn off the light?"

Helena looked at the red head's wrist.

"Hey, that's my bracelet."

"It's my bracelet. You gave it to me as a gift, if I remember correctly."

"Do you like it?"

"It's wonderful."

Helena rested her head on the pillow. "I'm sorry if it's not as expensive as…"

"Helena." Barbara interrupted her "This is the best gift I got on my birthday day."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Know what?" Helena crossed her arms behind her head.

"Yes?"

"You are good at flirting."

Barbara couldn't suppress a laugh. "What?"

"You have been flirting with me the last few weeks."

"Come on, Hel."

"It's true." The brunette lifted her head. "Maybe you are now considering accepting my proposal."

"I can't do that. You have too many girlfriends around," Barbara taunted her, "I don't want you to break their hearts, like Suzy's. Now, good night and don't snore." The redhead turned off the light and the room was dark in an instant. She leaned back on her mattress, it was perfect.

"I don't snore." Helena's voice was heard. She was pissed, why did Barbara keep mentioning Suzy? She had only been out with her one time and nothing had happened.

"You do." Barbara said, turning on her side and hugging her pillow.

"No."

"Of course you do." Barbara pointed out in the darkness.

"How do you know I snore?" the brunette asked indignantly.

"Because you live here."

"I don't…" Helena was quiet for a moment. "Well, I like to be here sometimes. Is that a problem for you?"

"Of course not," Barbara said, feeling sleep claim her, "but I don't understand why you took out your bed. You wouldn't have to sleep on the couch every time that you stay here."

"That couch is great to sleep on. I can't understand why you let her sleep there, knowing it's my favorite place."

"Because you must go to sleep to your place, not here. Now, could you please shut up and sleep?"

"I'm trying but this pillow is hard."

Suddenly, a pillow hit the brunette's head with strength, she was going to protest, but she felt it was softer.

"Hey, thanks!" she said.

"Anything to help you keep your mouth closed."

"Remind me again why I can't sleep in your king size bed with you?" Helena asked, resting her head on the big pillow.

Barbara sighed and turned to her side in the dark room. "Because you kick and you always end up glued to my back."

"But people are supposed to love hugging stuffed cats."

"Stuffed cats don't purr." Barbara smiled with her closed eyes. She loved when Helena slept with her, and it took her a good amount of effort not succumb to her feelings and touch her marvelous skin or kiss each inch of her body.

"I purr when I'm happy, is that bad?"

"It will be bad if you don't close your mouth and let me sleep."

The last words sounded like a warning. The brunette covered herself with a soft blanket. She felt happy, she liked to be close to Barbara, and being in her room was like being in heaven. Who could resist a woman like her?

It wasn't her fault that Barbara was so beautiful. It was a fact that Barbara would never look at her more than just a friend. The only kiss she would get from Barbara would be a good night kiss.

Barbara was okay with her liking women; she was very open minded and she had always respected her and her choices. She had moved out of the tower a few years ago when she realized she needed her own space, as did Barbara, to live their own lives; Barbara had been dating Dick "Dumb" Grayson.

She stared at the ceiling, trying to keep her senses alert. Chucky was outside. Why had Barbara let her stay? She definitely had a big heart, but it was dangerous. If that girl was going to attack them while they were sleeping, she would be ready for anything. She was not going to let her touch a single hair on the redhead.

Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.

"Barbara?" her voice was heard again in the darkness.

"What?" the redhead mumbled, mentally cursing the brunette.

"Did you lock your room?"

"Is that important? I have zillions of alarms surrounding this place."

"Chucky is in the living room. Did you lock it?"

"Her name is Dinah and, no, I didn't lock my room," Barbara grumbled, annoyed.

"Don't get up, I'll lock it," Helena said.

"I was not planning to do it." Barbara heard the sound of Helena moving her blankets. Why couldn't she just shut up and sleep?

After a few seconds, she heard the sound of Helena's sheets. Finally, now she could sleep. She let her body relax.

"Did you lock the windows?" Helena asked, suddenly.

Barbara sat up in bed, glaring in the brunette's direction. She was sure that with her night vision, she could see her clearly.

"I swear, Helena, if you don't shut up and go to sleep, I'll kick your ass out of my room," she growled.

"Hey, I'm protecting your life."

"Better protect your ass. Helena, go to sleep, dammit!" Furious, the redhead slammed her head down and put a second pillow on top of her head.

"What a mood. Work is making you grouchy."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	4. Research

**Title: Looking back **

**Fandom: Birds of Prey**

**Pairings: (B/H)**

**Ratings: Now PG13**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Birds of Prey or any character created by WB used in this story. **

**Author's Notes: This is the Slash version of a fic in an alternate world where Barbara can walk...**

**Feedback: Welcome.**

**Special thanks to my dear and lovely editor Nightstalker**

**--------------------------------------------------------**

Barbara yawned and stretched on her big bed. She turned on her stomach, hugging her pillow at as she checked the clock on her night table.

Seven o' clock.

She yawned and looked down. Helena was sound asleep. Predictably, she'd managed to throw the blankets to the floor. She was wearing just a light shirt with no sleeves and her red boxers. Her expression was peaceful; she had as pretty face as her mom. She looked terribly beautiful and she had a great body.

She was all her mother's daughter. It was not a surprise that she was so popular with men and women. She caressed her cheek with the back of her index finger. Her skin was so soft. She suppressed the need to lean down and kiss her. It was not a good thing.

How many times had she wanted to just take her face in her hands and kiss her?

She shook her head. Well, now time was running. She stood up, trying to not make loud noises and awake her sleeping friend.

Twenty minutes later she walked inside the kitchen. Alfred, her old and loyal friend was there with the breakfast ready, he always was in perfect time.

"Miss Barbara," Alfred started pouring a warm cup of coffee in the redhead's mug. "You look tired."

"A cat was mewling at my window all night," she said, yawning and sitting on the table.

"The big black cat?"

"Yes." Barbara rubbed her eyes "Thankfully she didn't end up in my bed as she usually does."

"Did you threaten her?"

"Not exactly, just a few warnings were enough. I must buy a bed today," Barbara said, taking a bit of scrambled egg on her fork. "I'll send some guys over at noon to help you to organize Helena's old bedroom and get the new bed in."

"And all this commotion is for…?"

"Long story," she said eating her egg and looking at him. She watched him open a bag of flour. "What are you doing?"

"Miss Helena asked me to make some brownies."

"You spoil her too much." Barbara smiled.

"Sometimes a hero needs a bit of spoiling… and sugar of course." Alfred chuckled.

"She is hyperactive enough, the last thing that girl needs is more sugar."

"I'm glad to see she is more involved in the foundation."

"Yes, she needed a push at the beginning, but afterwards she saw what we are doing to support kids. She doesn't protest when I ask her for help. Maybe she doesn't want to accept a penny of Bruce's, but at least she agreed to help with the charity events. People like to see her, she has magnetism."

"You have a lot of magnetism too," the gentle butler said, cracking some eggs into a bowl "Kids love you."

Barbara sipped her coffee. "Yes, but you know that young people identify most easily with young people. And it helps her control her anger. She is still so closed off, but I hope that her contact with children helps her to open up a bit more."

"I remember it was difficult to involve her in your work at the foundation."

"Yes, but once she met some of the kids we are helping, her 'iron mask' melted."

Alfred chuckled walked outside the platform. "She loves children."

"Yes, much more than me, and everybody says I'm the maternal one," Barbara said, wiping her mouth. She looked at her watch, it was late. "I have a meeting. I have my doubts about buying some powdered milk to send to central America. Oh! We have a new visitor. Her name is Dinah, please help her."

"The girl on the couch?" he asked.

"Exactly," the redhead said, standing up. "When she is ready call me. I'll send a limo for her, we still need to talk."

"Sure."

"And, please, try to keep Helena from annoying her. You know how she gets jealous; she loves being the only child in this house."

* * *

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The teenager marveled at the size of the place, many people walked through the elegant corridors, paper in hand. More people were at their desks, talking by phone or working at their computers.

She followed a tall woman who walked in front of her until they arrived at a main lobby. The sign on the wall identified the area as the corporate offices of the Wayne Foundation. She stood up in the middle of the reception room, which had a big window where she could see almost the entire city.

The Clock Tower was visible ahead. It looked incredibly big. She really liked this city.

"Miss Dinah," a voice behind her said. She turned and noticed the woman had a door opened. "Please…"

The blonde smiled and walked inside.

The door closed behind her, it was Barbara's office. It was not as big as she had expected, but it was nice and warm. The redhead was talking on the phone. She waved her hand, inviting the teen to sit. Dinah obeyed.

"Yes, please, send it immediately. I would really appreciate it if you could send it today. Charge it to my credit card."

After a few seconds, Barbara hung up the phone.

"Sorry," she said, "I was buying a bed."

"Oh… yours is old?"

"Let's just say I have a noisy cat that doesn't let me sleep at night." Barbara put her elbow on the desk and rested her chin on her fist. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad. I hope you are rested."

"Yes." She looked around. "This place is fantastic. Does Helena works here too?"

"No, she works in a bar."

"A bar?"

"She is a bartender."

"Ohh… I thought she was Bruce Wayne daughter, the newspapers talk about it."

Barbara leaned back in her chair playing with a pen between her fingers. "She has some issues with Wayne family money. She prefers to work on her own."

"But I saw that she helps you in your work here at the foundation. She was with you yesterday," Dinah said, curious.

"She helps me with the fundraising events, but she prefers to keep her distance. Now, let's talk about you. What's your name?"

"Dinah…"

"I mean your last name. Yesterday, you said it was Collins."

"Well… I…."

"I couldn't find anything under that name, Dinah Redmond."

Blue eyes opened big and blinked in surprise. The redhead lifted a paper from her desk.

"Seventeen years old, born in Opal, Missouri. You are not an orphan, you have foster parents…"

The blonde's face turned sad. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you, but I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Barbara let the paper fall to the desk.

"My foster parents taught me to be ashamed of what I was, never to tell anyone..." Dinah explained "to hide it. I thought so many times that I was a monster."

Barbara looked at the teenager. "Where are your foster parents now?"

"Opal." The teenager lowered her face.

"They don't know you are here?" Barbara said.

The girl shook her head.

"They must be looking for you. Surely, they are worried about you, Dinah."

"No, they were afraid of me. They said I was a freak. They ordered me to hide my visions," she lifted her gaze to the redhead. "And I tried, I swear it, Barbara, I tried to hide my visions, to not see what I was seeing… I thought it was bad and I thought If I could stop it, my parents would love me. I tried so hard…" the teenager's eyes turned moist, "but then, when I couldn't hide it anymore, they were gonna take me somewhere -- somewhere to make my powers stop and I ran away, I was so scared… I'm so scared."

Barbara observed her in silence. Dinah put her hand on the desk and played with the corner of a paper that was close to her.

"Maybe I'm a freak, my mom left me when I was a child."

"You are not a freak," Barbara said, extending her hand to touch the teenager's. "You are a girl with a wonderful gift."

"Then why do I have to hide from normal people?"

"Because they don't understand what a meta-human is. People are afraid of the things they don't understand. It's impossible to say at which point of the human evolution meta-humans started to exist and why. Not knowing and not understanding the answers to those questions made people afraid of them."

"How do you know so much about meta-humans, Barbara?"

"I have many meta-humans friends." The older woman smiled gently. "They are like humans, there are good and bad humans, there are good and bad meta-humans. Now, tell me, is there anything else I should know or do you want…" she lifted the paper from her desk "me to keep reading?"

"I just hid the thing about my foster parents and my name," Dinah said nervously. "Really, I promise, but it was because I don't want to go back with them. They want send me to that place and want me to hide what I am."

"Dinah, you can't stay with me, you must understand that."

"Why not?"

Barbara sighed. "I can't… I can't take care of you."

"You don't have to. I can take care of myself, I promise to study hard and get a job after school and…"

"Dinah, please." Barbara lifted her hand, asking her stop. "Look, I don't want to discuss this now. I have some meetings. I just wanted to ask you the truth about where you came from, you must understand that I can't take care of every stranger that knocks at my door."

"But that is what you do…" the teenager mumbled fixing her pale blue eyes on her, "It's what you are."

Opening her mouth, Barbara couldn't find the words to answer her. She shook her head. On one hand, she understood the fear of the girl and her feelings, but on the other one, she couldn't be responsible for a teenager that she barely knew.

"Dinah, let's do something," she leaned over her desk and looked her straight in her eyes, taking the blonde's hand in her own. "You have all my support, I'm not going to leave you alone, I want you to understand that, all right?"

The teen nodded.

"But tonight we must call your foster parents."

"Barbara…."

"I said, you get all my support, I'm not going to let anyone try to hurt you. Give me your word that you won't try to run away or escape and that we will talk with them tonight. After that, together, you and I will make a decision. You are touching my hand, you know I'm not lying. Do you agree?"

Dinah looked at their hands a few seconds before lifting her eyes to the redhead and nodding.

"Good, now don't worry, everything will be fine. We will find a way that makes you happy."

The blonde smiled.

"Excellent." Barbara stood up. "Listen, I need to work now, I need to check on some buys before authorizing them. Would you like a tour of the offices?"

"Yeah." The girl stood up.

"Excellent," Barbara put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll have my assistant give you a tour. What do you think if we have lunch together? I know a great restaurant nearby."

"Oh yes."

"I'll see you around noon, then."

The redhead opened the door. There were two women with her assistant, but only one caught her eye, a young woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail standing close to her assistant. It was Suzy, the girl Helena had been dating.

She eyed her, she was a beautiful girl. At least Helena had a good taste in woman.

"Dinah, Carol is my assistant," Barbara said and waved toward the other woman, "And this is suzy and she Jackie, my purchasing manager. Both have been with me since the beginning of my tenure at the foundation.""

"Hi…" When the teenager shook Jackie's hand, she seemed to be disturbed.

Barbara noticed it and wrapped an arm around the girl to pull her against her, causing her to release the hand of the blonde woman. "Take care of her, Carol."

The blonde blinked and nodded, looking at Jackie .

"Come with me, Dinah." Carol smiled at her.

"How have you been Suzy?" Barbara asked the young girl, while Carol and Dinah left the room.

"Fine, Miss Gordon, thanks."

"Did you have fun at my party?"

"Oh yes, it was great fun," the girl said.

The redhead took some papers from Carol's desk. "Helena told me you are a nice girl."

"Yes?" the girl couldn't hide her emotion.

"Yes." Barbara observed her reaction.

"She is very fun and she knows cool places. She told me she will call me this weekend."

"Oh, yes?" Barbara asked curiously.

"Yes, she said she would take me to a new place that has just opened."

"Good, that's good." The redhead nodded. "It will be fun if you go out with her."

"Sure."

"All right, let's work." Barbara told Jackie. "See you, Suzy." She watched the blonde girl walk out of her office.

"I brought you the papers so we can send the powdered milk…" Jackie said following her.

"I can't approve it," Barbara closed the door of her office. She was suddenly in bad mood.

"Why not?"

"I said no, Jackie." Barbara said, standing in front of her desk and looking for a file.

"But I accepted the…"

"Jackie, this powdered milk is not good quality, it's a bad product." She showed her a file. "I sent a sample to be analyzed and no, I don't approve it. Look at this report."

"Barbara," Jackie mumbled "I accepted the product, I think…"

"Send it back," the redhead interrupted, "Call the supplier. Now, let's see the other notes."

The blonde nodded, irritated, and left the office.

Barbara angrily turned to look out the window. If Helena could flirt with a plant, she would surely do it. Now she had her eye on her new employee. She was beautiful, young, but from her reaction, Barbara could tell she was a kid and a bit of an airhead. What would Helena see in a kid like that? She was sure she couldn't have a decent conversation with her.

Heavens.

That kind of attitude on Helena's part put her in bad mood. She sat on her chair and took out some papers work on in an attempt to distract herself.

* * *

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinah ate her salad, while Barbara wiped her mouth with her napkin. They were having lunch in an open restaurant close Wayne's Building. The redhead observed the girl carefully.

"Did you have a good day?"

"Yes." The teenager smiled, "That place is cool. There are thousands of offices and that big restaurant at the top."

Barbara smiled. "Yes, in that building there are many offices of Wayne Industries, as well as some meeting rooms and the room that you already know is used for big events."

"Your assistant showed me everything, even the art museum, it's incredible."

"We want to give something back to the community. In that museum, we collect art from new talents and some familiar old ones." She sipped water from her glass and paused. "Dinah, I want to ask you something…"

"Sure."

"What did you see when you touched Jackie?"

The blonde lowered her head. "Nothing…"

"Nothing? I saw your face." The redhead lifted her eyebrow.

"I just… feel so bad when I'm inside people's mind…"

"Are you sure?" Barbara asked. "I thought for a moment you didn't like her."

"Well, sometimes I pink up things…" Dinah said shyly.

"And what did you pick up?" Barbara finished her salad and cleaned her mouth.

"I couldn't understand… it was business… and I didn't understand it."

"Jackie has been working at the Foundation with me since six years ago. She is my left hand."

"Don't you mean your right hand?" Dinah asked.

"My left," Barbara smiled. "Carol is my right hand, they are very close to me and I trust them both so much."

The teenager looked at her with an incredulous face.

Barbara narrowed her eyes.

"Something wrong Dinah?" she asked.

"No…" the girl shook her head. "I'm just tired I think, it's been an emotional day."

The redhead had the feeling she was lying, but she didn't want push too much. Maybe she had seen a personal matter.

"If you want, I can ask my chauffer to give you a ride to the Tower," the older woman suggested.

"That would be great."

"All right, and remember, tonight, we must call your foster parents." She scratched her nose. "Alfred prepared the guest room for you. You will sleep much better tonight. I already bought a new bed."

"Why?"

"I needed one," Barbara waved her hand, "Helena stays at the Clock Tower often and she snores so much."

"Barbara…." Dinah looked at her. "When I touched you and Helena…."

"Yes?" the redhead lifted her hand to ask for coffee.

"I saw a huge place, with many codes and computers and cameras… Is that were you work as….?"

Barbara raised her hand, asking her stop. "Avoid this discussion in public, please."

"Sorry…"

"It's safety."

"I understand."

"We will discuss this at home, okay?"

"Yes."

* * *

------------------------------------------------

"What? Chucky is still here?" Helena asked, surprised to see the redhead at the time that she stepped inside the elevator that would take her and Barbara to the penthouse of Clock Tower.

"Her name is Dinah and yes," Barbara nodded, brushing her hair with her hand and looking at herself in the mirror. "She is still there."

"It's dangerous that she's there. How can we patrol tonight? She could discover…"

"She already knows."

"Did you tell her?" Helena almost shouted, pressing a button on the elevator.

"Of course not," the redhead sighed, "but she read minds, remember? She touched you and she touched me."

"That girl is dangerous," the younger woman growled.

"Don't worry, she briefly touched you, I don't think she saw your sex life."

Helena glared at the redhead. She was going to open her mouth when Barbara lifted her hand.

"And I don't want to know. Because you are dating someone, no?" Barbara couldn't resist the temptation to taunt her.

The brunette rolled her eyes, she had only been out once with Suzy. "Come on, Barbara."

"Suzy said she had a lot of fun with you and that she hopes you call her again this weekend."

"Meee?"

"She said you promised to her take her to a new place."

"Oh, you know, I promise many things, but I don't…"

Barbara pointed at her. "Be careful, Huntress, that girl works in my office. Now, could you please be polite tonight? Because I assume you will stay again."

"You assume well…. but I want the couch."

"The couch is yours," Barbara smiled to herself, "but only if you promise to be nice to Dinah."

"Really?" the brunette opened her eyes wide.

"Really. All yours."

"All right, deal… but Chucky? Where she will sleep?"

"Chucky will sleep in the guest room." The redhead checked the numbers that indicated on which floor they were.

"But it doesn't have a bed."

"Now it has one."

"What?"

The elevator doors opened and Barbara stepped outside.

"I bought one. Now, behave, you promised."

"You cheated!" Helena pointed at her with her finger and followed her.

"No, you asked for the couch, the couch is yours."

"Hi, Barbara." Dinah greeted, standing up. She was sitting in the living room, reading a book. "Hi Helena, how are you?"

"Read my mind," the brunette said and almost immediately jumped around, holding her foot when Barbara stepped on her shoe with the heel of her boot.

"Don't listen to her. Did you rest?"

Barbara removed her jacket while Helena kept hopping, holding her foot. Dinah watched her, but wisely chose not to ask what was going on.

"Yes, thanks, the room is very nice."  
"Glad you like it," Barbara said, sitting on the couch. A beep coming from her waist distracted their attention. She read the message. "Delphi alert."

"Let's go to work," Helena said.

"May I go?" Dinah asked.

"Dinah…" Barbara sighed.

"I already know about it. I saw it… it's big and is close to the mechanism of the clock, it has two floors and…"

"Don't look at me," Helena said, waving her hands. "She's your guest."

"You always are so helpful." The older woman rolled her eyes. "All right, come with me and while Helena works, we will call your parents."

* * *

---------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Looking back**

**Fandom: Birds of Prey**

**Pairings: (B/H)**

**Ratings: Now PG13**

**Disclaimers: I don't own Birds of Prey or any character created by WB used in this story.**

**Author's Notes: This is the Slash version of a fic in an alternate world where Barbara can walk...**

**Feedback: Thanks for all your emails and comments friends, are welcome.**

**Special thanks to my dear and lovely editor Nightstalker. **

___________________________________________-___________________________

Helena felt sore, her entire body hurt. Well, after fightig against ten gorilla sized thugs, escaping a big explosion, and jumping ten floors to run away from building in flames was not a piece of cake and less so if you fell in a trash container.

Barbara was surely going to pissed. One of the Foundation warehouses had exploded and burned. She couldn't stay any longer because the police had arrived.

Some times be a crime fighter sucked. She rested her back against the elevator wall when it moved upstairs.

She had gone to check the Wayne Foundation's warehouses. It seemed some unknown people had broken through the security system and had barely escaped a big explosion.

Barbara felt her heart sank when she heard the big explosion. For long, what seemed almost eternal, seconds, the brunette was off line. The air returned to her lungs when she heard the young woman's voice saying she was fine.

Were you worried about me? Helena asked.

"Always." Barbara said, meaning it.

You know I will always keep my ass safe for you.

"I was worried about all of you, not just your ass. Come back now," Barbara responded, trying to sound light. "What is your obsession with your ass?"

It's pretty nice. Not all people have a nice one… ouch… I broke my nail.

Barbara sighed, she was incorrigible. "Come here and we will try to save it."

"Is she really okay?" Dinah asked from behind the redhead.

"Oh… yes." Barbara said, "If she is joking, she is."

"Aren't you afraid that she is hurt?"

The redhead stopped to type at her keyboard and looked at the teen. The truth was that she was terrified every time she knew Helena was in danger or hurt. Every time the vigilante was in pain, she was too. But she trusted in her, in her skills, in her Helena

"Every time she is out, I am," she finally said.

"So why do you keep doing this?" Dinah asked..

"I trust her and… this is what we are, it's part of the job."

Thirty minutes later, the door bell announced the arrival of the elevator, Barbara blinked, moving away from her recent thoughts. She stood up from her place at the Delphi and walked toward the elevator. Sshe knew Helena had said she was okay, but for some unknown reason, she wanted to see her with her own eyes.

When the elevator doors opened, Barbara was overpowered by a strong smell.

"Are you okay?" Barbara asked noticing she was covered in… trash?

Dinah, who walked up behind the redhead made a face. "Eww… What happened to you?"

"You need to clean out your trash containers more often," Helena growled at Barbara, cleaning the sleeves of her coat and stepping outside.

Well, she was still joking, she was fine. Barbara smiled to herself.

"You need a shower," Dinah said, waving her hand in front of her nose.

"You don't have to tell me, genius." Helena glared at her.

"I'm glad you are fine." Barbara told Helena. "You worried me."

"A hug?" Helena extended her arms, smiling.

"Forget it." Barbara extended her hands, stopping the brunette from getting closer.

"You said you were worried about me."

"And I was, and I am now. Go shower before you get some kind of infection."

"And my nail?"

"Shower first."

"Miss Helena, I would really appreciate it if you keep your trash far from my floor," Alfred said stepping toward hers with a broom and a plastic bag.

"I would really appreciate a warmer welcome next time. I'm doing the superhero thing outside," Helena said, removing her shoes and putting them inside the plastic bag Alfred gave her. "Any ideas about who could be?"

"No," Barbara shook her head, "I still don't know who would want to burn the Foundation's storage facilities. Was the damage serious?"

"Just one building…" Helena noticed Alfred picking up the bag with her shoes. "Hey Alfred! Don't you dare throw that in the trash!"

"I was thinking of a better idea… perhaps burning it."

"Give me my shoes back!" Helena followed him.

Barbara tapped her chin.

Dinah watched her.

"Could it be someone inside the foundation?" the teenager asked.

"I don't think so. I trust all my people and in those storages…" she narrowed her eyes and lifted her head to look at Helena, who was bringing back the plastic bag with her shoes, "Helena, what was inside the storage building that burned?"

"No idea."

"No idea?" The odor of rank garbage assaulted Barbara's senses again and she covered her nose.

"Yes. Check your Foundation files, ask Jackie, she has control of the storage facilities."

"Go take a shower while I do some research here."

"Keep him away from my clothes." She pointed at Alfred.

"Just go take a shower, your smell is filling the whole place." Barbara moved her head and walked back toward the Delphi. Dinah followed her. "And use guest bathroom! I don't want my shower all messed up."

"Yea, yea…."

The redhead smiled lightly, watching her go. She looked at the blonde next to her and put her hand on her arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, remembering the earlier conversation with her foster parents.

_We are not interested in having her here anymore, her foster father had said._

"_Excuse me?" The answer surprised the crime fighter. She had called Dinah's parents to tell them she was fine and safe, saying she was from Social services._

_It was been a blessing for us that she left. She is a weird girl-- you just don't have any idea. She scares us._

"_But she…" Barbara looked at Dinah, she had the mic open._

_Look, she is not normal. I know it sounds crazy, but she really scares us. If social services sends us paperwork handing over custody to someone else, we will be pleased to sign it. We are not interested in her coming back._

_Barbara was speechless, she looked helplessly at the teenager, not finding any appropriate words. She was astonished._

_Dinah, sat on a chair next to her and shrugged her shoulders. "I know it… I told you, they look at me like a freak."_

"_Thanks, Mr. Redmond," Barbara said, "I'll call you back later."_

Dinah seemed to be in one piece, but she couldn't hide her sadness. It was not easy to be rejected and have no one to care for you.

The teenager nodded at the redhead.

"I'm sorry," Barbara said.

"Don't worry, Barbara, I knew this would happen," Dinah said. "They always looked at me in a strange way, they always told me my dreams were my imagination and that I needed to forget them. I was scared because I couldn't understand what was happening… and… they were more scared. You are usually scared of things you can't understand."

"You are perfectly normal, remember that. You are not a freak or a monster, you are a wonderful and beautiful young girl."

Dinah just leaned in and hugged her. "Thanks."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barbara typed on her laptop in the living room as she sat on the couch, close to the brunette who was preparing her 'bed' to sleep. She gazed toward Helena. She enjoyed every time the young woman stayed at home. It was nice, she was good company and always fun. She enjoyed it too, when Helena moved to her bed and curled up close to her. It was the closest she would ever be to her. No matter how much she, yes, she wanted her.

Helena was a beautiful woman. Wearing that tank top... she looked sexy. She always looked sexy. Well, Helena could wear a potato sac and still look amazing. Barbara had to admit that Helena had a great ass. She smiled and then returned her attention to her laptop. She needed to stop thinking about her like that.

"I can't believe you are really going to make me sleep on the couch," Helena said, adjusting some blankets.

"You asked to sleep there."

"But you never told me you had just bought a new bed!"

"You never asked me."

Helena glared to her. "You love to taunt me, right?"

"Me? Oh no…" Barbara pushed her eyeglasses up her nose with her index finger. She looked cute when she was pissed.

"Whatever," Helena sat on the couch and bounced lightly, "It is perfect now."

"I'm happy for you…. I can't understand why those people wanted to burn the storage building."

"Before you start with that topic, tell me what happened with Chucky's parents? Did you call them?"

The older woman took a deep breath and looked at her, "Yes, and it was not pleasant… "

"Why?"

"Dinah was right, those people think she is a freak:"

"Who are those assholes??" Helena said angrily.

"I'm glad you got the point. I want to ask you something." Barbara looked at her "What if I petition the court to care for Dinah as I did you?"

"What?"

"They think she is some kind of monster, they said they were scared of her. All the things that Dinah told us are true."

"You are joking, right?"

"You know how it feels to be rejected. To be alone."

"I'm different, you already knew me." Helena shook her head. "Barbara, I don't trust her, you barely know her."

"She's a scared teenager," Barbara sighed, trying to make Helena understand.

"No, no, no and no! She eats cats, remember?"

Barbara rolled her eyes. "She is not going to hurt anyone, let's make a deal. I'll let her live here a few days more and then we will make a decision."

"Let's make a deal," Helena pointed at her, "if you want to help her, I'll give you one week to find her a home, but after it she must go."

"Hel…She isn't a puppy!"

"What we do is dangerous, this place is supposed to be secret. I'm not going to risk your life or my life letting a strange person living with you. No!"

Barbara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't think…"

"Stop thinking with your heart!" Helena growled, "You know having her here is a risk to your life and mine."

"Hel, she is just a kid!"

"No, Barbara. No!" Helena shook her head adamantly.

"Don't think you are overreacting?" Barbara removed her glasses and tapped the earpiece on her chin as she narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. Helena was scared, scared that something could happen to her, it was sweet.

The brunette felt the intensity of her gaze on her back and turned. She found green eyes fixated on her. Barbara had her long and beautiful legs curled underneath her on the couch and her bathrobe was opened, revealing her cleavage. She looked so hot. Her mouth was suddenly dry.

"Helena?" Barbara asked, noticing the brunette was suddenly speechless and staring at her with her mouth half open.

The brunette shook her head. Dammit, she needed a cold shower.

"Just give her an opportunity."

"All right, just…. just… just be careful." Helena felt like she didn't have a mind to keep arguing, the redhead had caught her. She waved her hand and let herself fall on the couch. She covered up with a blanket. "And I'll keep an eye on her. Period." She turned her back to the older woman.

Barbara lifted her eyebrow. Was Helena giving up so soon.. so easily?

"Are you sick?" she asked.

"No."

"Looks like it."

Helena turned her head. "I'm you giving you the chance you asked for."

"You are planning something." Barbara narrowed her eyes.

"Me? No, why?"

"You never surrender so easily." The redhead closed her laptop and put it aside.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "You asked me for a chance."

Barbara stood up. "I don't believe it. You are planning something, little rat." She gave her a light spanking on her ass and walked toward her bedroom. "I've got my eye on you. Good night."

"Hey, seriously, I'm trying to be nice," Helena said. She glanced toward her ass. She would love it if she spanked her more often. Resting her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes to sleep.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barbara had just finished some work at her office and had left to go to check on the storage facility that burned down. She put her hand over the steering wheel, thinking. She really had trouble at home. She felt sorry for Dinah, but at the same time, maybe Helena was right. She didn't know the teenager. The kid didn't seem to be a bad person and, besides, what could Dinah do alone? If she ended up in another foster home or at the Children's Home, with her meta skills…. someone could find out and she would be in danger.

Helena.

Her always overprotective and fierce friend, Helena, who had been at her side since that tragic day. She had become an important part of her life.

Stubborn, grump, funny, smart, wild and gorgeous.

She couldn't say when she had fallen in love with her. Maybe it had been gradually, over the years. She could be a real challenge to her mind with her points of view about life and her knowledge on several topics or just she could be playful. She was so authentic, so full of life.

She had tried to avoid these feelings, but every day, they seemed to grow, to be more intense.

She sighed, staring at the windshield.

Helena's mind was on other women, on other horizons.

It had been one stupidest things she had done in her life.

She heard knocks at her window. She lowered the glass.

"Hi, Jackie, sorry. I didn't hear you."

"I'm just arriving, something wrong? I saw you just sitting there and staring at nothing.

"I was thinking, personal issues…"

"Where are you going?"

"I was planning to go to the storage facility," Barbara sighed and opened her notebook to write. "I sent you an email asking you what was inside the storage."

Jackie hesitated before answering. "The powdered milk."

Barbara stopped her writing and lifted her eyebrow looking at her. "What?"

Jackie bit her lips. "The powdered milk."

"I asked you to return what was stored. Why did you accept it before asking me?"

"Don't worry, the insurance will cover it."

"That's not the point, I didn't want to pay for a bad product that was overpriced."

"Barbara…" Jackie extended her hands.

"Please don't ever do this again..."

"Barbara, I tried to find you before, I couldn't return the shipment," Jackie said, resting her hands on the window of the car.

"You should have."

The blonde lowered her head a few seconds before lifting it and looking at the redhead straight in her eyes. "Barbara, I gave my word."

"I'm sorry," the redhead said and rubbed her temple. "Listen… can we discuss this later? It's not a good day for me. Just send back what's left of that shipment, I don't want more trouble. I need to contact the insurance company."

"Please." The blonde shook her head.

"Jackie, you know this is wrong. I don't work this way. We will talk when I get back." She turned on the engine of the car. "And very seriously.

The woman stepped back and let her move the car back. At that moment her mobile phone rang. She opened it and answered, watching her friend drive the car outside the parking lot.

"It's me." Jackie said, "I'm sorry, she doesn't want to do it…"

_____________________________________________________________________-

"Intentional?" Barbara asked the police officer. She was outside the burned building with a detective while another policemen checked the place.

"Definitely," he said, showing her a plastic bag.

"What's that?" She looked curiously at the bag, it seemed to be full of crystals.

"Those white crystals are acetone peroxide," Detective Reese said.

"Wait a minute… acetone peroxide?" Barbara narrowed her eyes. The explosive power of acetone peroxide was close to that of TNT. It was highly sensitive to heat, friction and mechanical shock, so much so that inexperienced handling could lead to maiming.

"Yes."

"Anti-terrorism experts reported that the compound is known as the 'Mother of Satan' by Islamic extremists for its devastating instability."

"We found two bodies inside."

"What?" This time the redhead couldn't hide her surprise. Helena had barely escaped the explosion and she couldn't get back in, the whole place had been in flames.

"We found it a few minutes before you arrived," Reese said. "TATP was, until recently, difficult to detect. It can be combined with other explosives as a detonator."

Barbara shook her head. This was serious.

"Do you have any idea as to who would want to do this?"

"No." She shook her head remembering that Huntress had fought against some thugs the night before. "I don't have any clue. It's just a storage building that we use to for supplies before we ship them to our offices around the world. This was one full of powdered milk. I had already asked that the entire shipment be sent back to the supplier."

"Why?"

"Bad quality."

"Is that all? It seemed someone was using your facility to run a corrupt business." The black man scratched his chin. "How many tons were inside?"

"No idea, Detective Reese, maybe 50 or 60. Perhaps we can check the files in the security office, they have a record of everything that is stored here."

"Do you have security cameras?"

"Yes." Barbara knew it would be useful, she had checked them all the night before.

"Can we check it?"

"Sure, come with me."

After a few hours and answering some questions for the detective, Barbara walked back to her vehicle. She checked her watch. Just enough time to do some errands and before having lunch with Dinah again. She drove the vehicle down street. It would not be easy to talk with Dinah, she still was not sure what to do about the girl.

But before that, she needed to have a serious talk with someone. She pressed a button on her mobile.

Financial, Jackie Miller, good afternoon.

"Jackie, Barbara. I'm just leaving the dockyards. The police found two dead bodies inside and acetone peroxide crystals."

What is that? the woman asked.

"Helps to produce explosives," Barbara explained, turning toward the Main Street. "Seems it was being combined with the powdered milk in our facility, as a way to take it out of the country. Usually, customs doesn't check the items that the Foundation exports."

It sounds bad. What about the two bodies?

"No idea, maybe they were handling the peroxide and it exploded, it's very instable. Listen, I need the complete information on the man that sold to you the powdered milk." She took a deep breath, "What were you doing in the storage building last night?"

"I… "

"Listen, I need to talk with you." Barbara shook her head. She had seen on the security cameras tha the woman had been in the facility the night before. "Can you be at my office at 1:00?"

Sure… Where are you now?

"I need to pick up some analyses from the lab at Memorial Hospital and I am meeting Dinah at noon for lunch. Please call her and tell her I'll be on time and to wait for me at the office."

All right.

The red head arrived to the hospital and went toward the lab. She was annoyed, something was wrong and Jackie was in the middle of it. What had she been doing at the dockyards? She picked up her analyses and walked toward the office of one of her best friends. She arrived at the office of hospital director and knocked on the door.

"Come in," the familiar voice said.

Barbara opened the door, smiling. "Hey, doctor."

"Barbara!" The old doctor said, smiling as she stood up.

"Hi, Leslie, How are you?" The redhead hugged her. Leslie Thompkins, a well-known doctor in New Gotham had been her friend for years, and her main doctor.

"Long time, no see."

"I'm sorry, you know how work is."

"Sit down, please." Leslie waved her hand at a chair.

"I'm sorry, I just came to see you quickly." Barbara took Leslie's hands in her own, "but I'd love to invite you to dinner at my home this weekend."

The old doctor looked at her with distrust. "You are not cooking right?"

Barbara rolled her eyes and sat in front of the doctor desk, "Alfred will do it."

"Excellent, I'll accept then." Leslie chuckled. "How is the monster?"

"Helena? Grumpy as always."

"And drooling over you."

"Come on, Les. I was just a teen crush, you know it." Barbara said, sighing. "It was years ago." She remembered those years and smiled lightly. She had noticed Helena's attraction for her when the young girl was just seventeen. Luckily, it was a short lived crush and she soon forgot her. It was ironic that years later she had the same crush, with the difference that she couldn't forget it.

Leslie laughed. "I don't know how that hard head could fix her eyes on you."

Barbara was offended. "Hey, I'm a good looking girl."

The old woman lifted her eyebrow.

"I'm young, popular, smart and, as Helena says, I have a great ass."

Leslie lifted her eyebrow. It seemed Helena's ego was contagious. "I wasn't talking about your looks, Barbara."

"Oh, well, I was the closest person to her and the only one who heard her."

"Yes, true. Is she still working at that ugly bar?"

"I think so," Barbara said amused.

"You guys are really weird." Leslie shook her head.

"You know her father issues. She prefers to keep far from his money."

"Hard headed."

"Like her dad."

"And you and Selina." The old woman pointed at her with her index finger.

"Come on, Les…"

"Well, you are."

Barbara sighed, she knew she couldn't win with her. She gave her the papers in her hand. "My analysis."

"Oh, excellent," Leslie took the envelope "Let me look it over and I'll call you this afternoon."

"Sure."

"I hope you are not pregnant."

"Not funny," Barbara glared at her.

"I know with your big child, you have enough."

"Tell me about it." Barbara looked at her watch. "Well, see you. I have an appointment."

"Sure."

The redhead hugged her and exited the office.

She sat in her car and took the wheel between her hands. She knew she had been a crush for Helena. But it was just that, a crush. She knew that Helena loved her as her best friend, her sister.

Just that.

She left the building and went toward the parking lot.

She stood in front of her car and looked for her car keys in her bag.

"Barbara Gordon?" a male voice said from behind her.

"Yes?" she turned and noticed two men behind her.

"Come with us."

She took a step back, one of the men tried to hold her by her arm and she took out her batons from her bag, hitting him hard. The second man was on the floor, too, with two fast movements of her hands. She turned to run away, but three tall men blocked her way. She turned to run in the other direction, but one of the thugs lying on the ground grabbed her ankle and she fell down.

She rolled over her and kicked him. She stood up quickly and was face to face with another thug. She kicked him and punched him hard in his face. She bent over as one of the assaulters charged against her and used his impulse to send him flying against a wall.

Barbara was preparing to fight another thug when she felt a painful burn in her side that pushed her against a car parked behind her. She grunted and took her hand to her side as she slipped to the ground, feeling the darkness enveloping her.

It hurt like hell. She felt a sticky warmth under her fingers.

"Why the fuck did you shoot her?" a man yelled.

"She was kicking your ass!" the thug said.

"Asshole!" He slapped him hard, making him fall. Immediately, he turned to his men. "Pick her up now! The police will arrive any minute."

Barbara, barely conscious, felt the men lifting her. She cried when she was lifted roughly off the ground. The men threw her inside a van parked next to her car and climbed inside. The van sped out of the parking lot.

The police guard at the main entrance, who had seen what had happened, tried to stop them, but the men crashed the Van through the entrance of the parking lot and escaped.

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	6. Looking for you

Title: Looking back

Fandom: Birds of Prey

Pairings: (B/H)

Ratings: Now PG13

Disclaimers: I don't own Birds of Prey or any character created by WB used in this story.

Author's Notes: This is the Slash version of a fic in an alternate world where Barbara can walk...

Feedback: Thanks for all your emails and comments friends, are welcome.

Special thanks to my dear and lovely editor Nightstalker. Sorry i couldnt post before, FF had technical issues

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Carol was on the phone at the time Dinah arrived at Barbara's office. She seemed to be pretty busy and the woman waved her hand toward Barbara's office. Dinah nodded and walked inside.

"Oh I'm sorry," Dinah said, noticing that Jackie was at Barbara's desk reviewing some papers. "I didn't…"

"No, it's okay," Jackie said, "I was just leaving her some papers to sign."

"Oh… Okay, she said we would go to lunch…"

"Yes, she told me she will pick you up here." Jackie smiled at her. "Wait for her."

"Sure."

Jackie extended her hand to her and shook it. Dinah got a torrent of images in front of their faces. She felt an electric charge and moved her hand back.

"Dinah?" Jackie looked her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes…." the teenager mumbled, feeling scared. She had seen her asking someone to help her to knock Barbara off the road and she had seen her inside a storage facility close to a man with explosives. Could it be the storage building that Barbara said had burned the night before?

"You seemed disturbed," the blonde said.

"No, no…" she smiled. "I'm okay."

"Well, I must go, see you later."

"Bye."

Dinah watched her go. Maybe her mind was playing tricks. Could she tell Barbara or not? She was not sure the woman would believe her. She remembered the image that she had that day and the one where she had seen her involved in underhanded business and surrounded by people that seemed to be thieves. They were big and had weapons. She had the feeling that Jackie was a bad person, but Barbara trusted her and, surely, she wouldn't believe it. But she had the feeling something was wrong.

The woman seemed to be nice, but she could sense she was not honest. She looked a portrait on the desk.

Barbara and Helena were together, it was one of those strange moments where she could see the brunette smiling. Smiling and shining. Helena always seemed be carrying a shadow of sadness, something had happened, something connected with the dream she often had.

In that picture, it seemed they were at home, yes, that was the living room. They looked happy together. Both were so different, but they at the same time it was as if they were part of each other.

"Miss Gordon was kidnapped!" Carol appeared agitated at the door.

"What?" Dinah blinked. "I saw her this morning."

"The police called," Carol said. "There was a fight in the Hospital parking lot. They put her inside a van, no plate. The guard on duty said she was shot."

"Oh my…" Dinah had a bad feeling as she watched Jackie, who seemed to be in a discussion with someone on her cell phone stood far from them. She picked up her bag and ran toward the door.

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"And where the hell is she?" Helena yelled into the phone. "Where the fuck was the chauffer?" She covered her eyes with her hand, pacing near the Delphi. "All right, Carol, please don't move. Keep an eye on the phone." She hung up and closed her eyes a brief second.

"Fuck!" She took the phone and threw it to the floor. She was so frustrated. Barbara's car had been found inside the hospital parking lot, but she had vanished. Even worse was that they had found blood.

"Miss Helena," Alfred said, he was standing behind her "You must remain calm."

"I can't!" the brunette said, extending her hands. "She is missing. No one knows what happened." She put her hands on her waist and moved her head. She took a breath, he was right, she needed to think clearly. It was just that she was afraid that someone would hurt Barbara or kill her. She was her family, the only person that she trusted and the only one who really had cared about her the last few years. "Jim is moving on this, too," she whispered. "It seems it's a kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?"

"Reese is there, I must go see him now. Maybe he can find something." She shook her head trying to think clearly. "Listen, stay here at Delphi, I need your help. I'll go to see Reese right now."

The elevator doors opened at the Clock Tower, Dinah appeared. Helena glared at the girl and her eyes turned feral. Dinah felt a shiver when those blue eyes morphed to golden eyes and fixed on her with anger.

"Where is she?" Helena growled, her fists balled.

"Miss Helena…" Alfred took her arm.

"What?" Dinah stepped outside the elevator.

"Where the fuck is she?" In a blink, Helena had jumped toward her and grabbed her by the neck of her shirt. "Tell me or I'll rip your head off!"

"It was not me!" The blonde grabbed Helena's hand with her own, but the young woman was incredibly strong. Suddenly, several images flowed inside her mind. She stared at her surprised.

The brunette pushed Dinah against the wall.

"Miss Helena, no!" Alfred exclaimed.

"If you touch a single hair on her head, you are dead."

Helena didn't see it coming, there was just a strong force that pushed her back against one of the desks at the Delphi.

"What the ….?" Helena growled from the floor, looking at the blonde.

"It seems Miss Dinah has powerful skills." Alfred, surprised, helped Helena get to her feet.

"It was not me! Listen to me!" the teenager shouted.

Helena walked threatening to her. "You have one minute."

"It was Jackie!"

"Don't fuck with me!"

"It was Jackie!" Dinah insisted. "She is, in some way, responsible for Barbara's disappearance."

"You are a damn liar," Helena growled to her. "Jackie would never…"

"I touched her hand yesterday!" Dinah interrupted her. "She is betraying her! She is the one behind all this, it's all about the milk."

"She never could…" Helena couldn't believe what she was saying. Jackie and Barbara had been working together for years. She was trying to divert her attention.

"She is! She is betraying her! Today, she shook my hand. She was angry with Barbara because of something with the milk and she called someone asking them to help. I saw it. She told him or her that she would be at Memorial Hospital and her car was found close to it!"

"You are lying…" Helena took a step toward her "Jackie never…"

"You are afraid of losing her," the blonde stepped back. "You are desperate because you don't know where she is."

"Of course I am! She is my friend!" the dark woman looked like a predator, ready to pounce on her prey. Her golden eyes glittered.

"I touched you!" Dinah said, finding the wall at her back ."I saw your feelings, you are in love with her!"

The brunette felt her blood boiling. "Shut up…"

Helena was fractions of seconds away from hitting the blonde, when Alfred touched her back.

"Miss Helena, please! Miss Barbara needs us now. Listen to her, she could be telling the truth."

"You have been in love with her for so long…"

"Bullshit!" Helena turned, annoyed. It couldn't be. The kid couldn't know how she was feeling.

"You know I'm not lying! I already touched you!" Dinah said "You love Barbara, you have loved her since you were young, but you know she will never look at you because she sees you like a little sister. You have been dating women, but you can't stop thinking about her…"

The brunette clenched her teeth and glared, pointing at her with her index finger, in an effort to make her stop talking.

"Please, Helena," Dinah begged, walking toward her. "We must help her. Jackie must know where she is."

Helena rubbed her hands over her face. She exhaled and fixed her eyes on the floor, thinking. Alfred was right, maybe it was Barbara's only chance.

"Alfred, keep an eye on the phones," Helena said suddenly walking toward the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Dinah asked.

"We are going," Helena said pulling her arm, "to look for Jackie. But first I need make a stop."

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Her head was throbbing. She felt all sore and sick. Mostly her left side hurt like hell. Her mouth was dry. The pain had awakened her. She rested her head on the cold floor, trying to organize her thoughts.

She remembered the fight, but, after that, everything was muddled. She remembered the flash of light and the warmth on her side before she passed out. A bullet.

She didn't know how long she had been unconscious. She tried to move, but it was too painful.

"I see you are awake," a male voice said.

Barbara breathed heavily, trying to focus on the man. She took her hand back to her side and winced.

"I need a doctor…" She knew she was seriously wounded, she had been in many fights and had been injured frequently enough to recognize a bad wound.

"Maybe we can make a deal. If we start doing business, I think I could get you medical attention and save your life."

"I don't make deals with criminals," Barbara mumbled.

"You pissed me off when you screwed up our plan," the man said. "I've lost almost four million dollars. I'm sorry, though. I didn't want this, but you scared out the shit out of my men. Don't worry, you don't need to do anything. You can keep sending your help to other countries as you always do, but… you need to let us ship that extra merchandise."

"Acetone peroxide," she said, grimacing in pain as her side cramped.

"Exactly. You don't need to do anything, just let us prepare the shipments. I need two per month. It's an easy job, you win and I win."

"I can't," she said.

"Come on, Miss Gordon, this is an easy task."

"I don't work with people like you."

"I'm asking in a very nice way. I don't want to be rude." She heard the man stand up as his chair squeaked across the concrete floor.

"The Foundation works to help people, not to support criminals."

"I'll leave you alone for a few hours, and then I'm going to ask you again nicely, Miss Gordon," the thug sighed, circling her.

"I need… I need to check my wound," she said.

"I promise you, I will give you a plenty of money each month, if you support my cause. If not, well… it would be a shame to leave you here, dying a painful, slow death. I'll leave some cloths, alcohol and water if you need them."

She heard him leaving the room and a door closing. She look at her side. They had put a simple bandage on it, which was covered in blood. She removed it and checked the wound.

It looked bad.

"Shit," she growled.

She looked around. She was inside a small room with no windows, and just a dim light. She extended her arm to take the alcohol, cloths, and water, but it wouldn't help much. She let her head rest on the floor again. She was screwed.

Helena would find her, she always found her. She just needed to endure a little longer.

* * *

Reese walked toward his car after taking some notes. He had been informed about the events by the hospital. It was incredible; he had just seen Barbara Gordon a few hours ago. He opened the door when he heard a voice from behind his back.

"Reese."

The detective turned and jumped in his place, startled. Huntress was standing where a second ago there was no one.

"God, Huntress!" he said, taking his hand to his chest. "Could you please stop doing this?"

"What do you know?" she said, not moving a muscle.

"What are you doing here? You usually show up in the middle of the night. It's early, still light outside." He had always felt attracted to her, but she seemed to not notice that he existed. Her mind always seemed elsewhere, thinking of someone else. Finally, he had given up and accepted her just as a friend.

"Barbara Gordon is my friend," Huntress said, hands in her pockets. "I want to help. What do you know?"

"Not much. There were six men, a classic, grey GMC van, no windows, no plate. Maybe 1983." He pointed toward the parking lot entrance. "The guard said everything happened too fast. There was maybe 15-20 seconds before the fight stopped when a gun went off." He pointed toward the place where the redhead was parked. The area was full of policemen. "There is blood on the car parked next to Miss Gordon."

The brunette felt like she'd been punched in the gut. She bit her lip before asking, "Is she hurt?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so, yes. But we don't know how bad it is."

"Shit." Helena covered her eyes with her hands.

"The guard says they dragged her inside the van and the broke through the gate to escape. They went east on the highway. We don't have any more information. Now we are looking for tire tracks."

"Is that all?"

"Yes." He looked at her. Her usual colorful features seemed to be grey. "She really is a good friend, isn't she?"

Helena nodded, feeling a great anguish. Who had done this? Why? Was she badly hurt?

"I was with her this morning. I'm wondering if this has some connection to the fire at the warehouse last night."

She looked at him attentively. Barbara had been there last night.

"The warehouse?"

"I found in acetone peroxide crystals there last night."

"Am I wrong or is that like TNT?" Huntress asked curiously.

"You are right. Seems it was mixed with a shipment of powdered milk."

"Powdered milk?" the brunette blinked. Dinah had mentioned that too. The teenager wasn't lying.

"Yes, I gave her some samples that she said she would check." He lifted a small bag.

"May I?" Huntress asked.

"Sure." He gave her the plastic bag. "There is more. I found two dead bodies inside. The explosion practically made the entire building disappear. The amount of peroxide must have been enormous. I think she suspects someone was using it for criminal activity."

"So, your theory is that maybe this is related to the explosion in the warehouse last night?"

"Yes. Maybe she discovered something the criminals want to hide." He noticed a blonde teenager standing a few cars away from them.

Huntress saw his look and scratched her head. "Don't worry, she is with me."

"Is she your partner, too? I have never seen her before."

"No… just a… a friend." She sighed, "Long story."

"Well, I'll call you if I get any news."

"Thanks Reese, I really appreciate it."

Huntress turned and walked toward the blonde.

"Who is he?" Dinah asked. "He's handsome."

"None of your business," Huntress took her by her arm. "Let's go, it seems you are telling the truth."

* * *

The voice calling her name sounded so far away. She didn't know how many hours she had been unconscious. Her mouth was still dry and the pain in her side was stronger. She felt her wound throbbing. After a few seconds, her vision finally cleared. The man was there again.

"I hope you have thought things through a little better," he said. "What do you say? Partners?"

"No." She grimaced in pain.

"Oh, come on. Don't be stubborn."

"I need a doctor," she mumbled, trying to think clearly, but she felt disoriented and numb. It must be the loss of blood.

"Yes, you have lost much blood, but we must first deal with business. You just need to make a phone call and sign some papers. After that, you can go back home. You don't have to do anything else; leave the work to us… and the people working for us in the Foundation."

"What?" Had she heard him correctly? He must be joking. She licked her lips, trying to wet them.

She felt him kneeling next to her. "Maybe you haven't understood well, Miss Gordon, your injury is serious. Your situation is critical. I can give you all the help you need, you only have to say yes." He smirked. "But be careful, because if you trick me, I can be bad, very bad."

"Water, please…"

"Miss Gordon, if you die, I can convince your successor to work with me. It will be easy, so don't make this difficult for yourself."

"No." Barbara felt terribly sick and damn thirsty.

"Stubborn bitch," another voice growled.

"Give her some water," the man said. "I'm going to give her one last chance."

* * *

Helena drove her bike at high speed down the streets of New Gotham. She felt her heart pounding hard in her chest. She knew every minute was important; she needed to find Barbara soon. She didn't know who had captured her or why. Her mind tried to figure out who could be behind this. She was not convinced that Jackie could be a criminal. She had been Barbara's friend for years. But, if Dinah had seen something when she touched her hand, the kid must be telling the truth.

Dinah sat behind her, hugging her waist hard and burying her head in the brunettes back with closed eyes. The brunette made some dangerous turns and twists between vehicles. Dinah felt sick; she swore to herself that she'd never ride with Helena again. They arrived at the Foundation.

Helena jumped down and ran inside the Wayne's building, checking her watch. Barbara had disappeared almost eight hours ago. She tossed her keys and helmet at the door man.

"Come on, kid!" she shouted.

"I'm coming." Dinah could barely follow her; she felt her legs shaking.

She stormed inside Barbara's office, where Carol was at her desk with some policemen around waiting for a call from the redhead's captors.

"Any news?"

"No, Miss Kyle."

"Jackie?"

"She is not here."

"Her home?"

"I have been calling her, but she doesn't answer."

::Miss Huntress, I got the images from the parking lot of the hospital.:: Helena heard Alfred's voice in her ear.

The brunette walked toward Barbara's office. "Keep calling her, I need to find her. Come with me kid."

Closing the door behind her, she sat in front of Barbara's computer and pressed some keys.

"I'm in Barbara's office. Can you send the video here?" Helena said.

"Who are you talking to?" Dinah asked, looking around.

"Alfred. Intercom system," the brunette answered, seeing the message appear. "You can't hear him."

She pressed the enter key and she tapped her feet impatiently. When the image was completely downloaded, she pressed the open file button.

It was an image in black and white. She carefully observed each movement of the men and Barbara. She was kicking ass, fighting like a demon. Suddenly, a flash appeared and Helena watched the redhead slip to the ground; Helena's face turned pale.

"Son of bitch…" she mumbled. "She is wounded."

::I'm afraid so, yes.::

Dinah moved closer to her and pointed at some papers.

"Look, Helena, here is the powder milk information that Barbara was checking."

The brunette took the papers. It was a huge shipment.

"Alfred, run a check on 'Morris industries.' Barbara was researching them."

::Sure.::

Dinah showed her more papers, "There are many shipments from these guys to the Foundation."

"Barbara was checking on it-- powdered milk, sugar, flour…"

"Maybe they were using the Foundation as a middle man. All the buys were approved by Jackie."

"Barbara screwed someone when she started investigating this and ordered the return of the powdered milk."

::Miss Huntress.:: Alfred said over the mic.

"Don't say Miss Huntress. It doesn't scare anyone."

::The records of this company are all recent; maybe nine months, nothing else prior. The address seems to be fake, as is the registration number.::

"Yes, you were right, kid, someone was using the Foundation for criminal activity."

Knocks on the door interrupted them. Suddenly, Jackie appeared.

"Helena, I'm so sorry, I heard about Barbara and…"

Helena's eyes snapped to gold. "Where is she?" she growled, standing up.

"What?"

The brunette jumped toward her and pushed her against the wall. "Don't play your games with me. Where is Barbara?"

"What… are you talking about?"

"You were doing illegal business here," Dinah said. "Barbara discovered it and now she is missing!! You were at the storage facility last night!"

The woman looked at Dinah, not understanding how she could know about it.

"Of course I was there…" she mumbled. "I was doing what Barbara said… I needed to send back the…"

"You are lying." Helena's eyes morphed.

Jackie saw it and cried. She'd never seen anything like that

"Were you betraying Barbara? Damn bitch!" She smashed her hand against the wooden wall and broke it. "Where is she?"

"I don't know… you can't believe what she is saying…"

"You know where Barbara is!" Dinah said.

"Helena, we have been friends for a long time…" Jackie said, feeling nervous, she never had seen Helena so angry. "I never would betray Barbara's trust."

Dinah walked toward her and took Jackie's hand. Helena watched her. "What?"

"Maybe I can see where she is," Dinah said.

Jackie tried to pull her hand back but Dinah kept a hard grip on her.

The teenager felt the images flowing in her mind as Helena looked at her with an incredulous face.

"I know where she is!" the blonde yelled, suddenly releasing her hand.

"What?" the older woman said.

"I know where Barbara is! Jackie was coming back from that place," Dinah talked at high speed "They have her there! It's a big house with bricks and…"

"Where is she?" Helena asked, releasing Jackie and turning her attention to the young girl.

"I saw a sign," Dinah closed her eyes, thinking. "Win… Winston Street. There is a house with a big wall, the number is 552." Her pale blue eyes fixed on Helena "She is not well, she is hurt…"

"Helena, you can't believe what she is saying," Jackie laughed nervously.

"Is she badly hurt?" The brunette angrily turned and glared at Jackie.

"I… I…"

"Is she hurt, Jackie?" Helena faced her "Tell me now!"

The woman was terrified, she had never seen Helena so mad. She didn't look human…

"Yes, but…" the woman mumbled.

Helena felt her blood boiling. "How bad is she hurt?"

"I… I don't know…."

"Why?" Helena shouted, clenching her teeth. "She was your friend, Jackie!"

"It's a trap! She is lying!" Jackie said.

Carol was at the door frame, watching in astonishment at what was happening inside. The police had arrived.

"Keep an eye on her." Helena took Jackie's cell phone from her pocket and pushed her to the floor, knowing Barbara didn't have much time. "I don't want her leaving this office and I don't want her calling anyone."

"Yes, Miss Kyle."

"Come on, kid." The brunette exited the place, angry.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. I found you

When Barbara regained conscious, he was there. She felt her body drenched in sweat; she was cold. He must have noticed she was awake again because he talked to her.

"Miss Gordon, I hope you have thought it through well, now. I gave you a good amount of time to think."

She bit her lip, trying to endure an insistent, stabbing pain in her side.

He chuckled. "Can we talk about business now?"

"This is not business… forget it."

She cried when he grabbed her hair and lifted her. She felt his hot breath close her face.

"Do you want me to ask you in a rude manner? I can be very difficult when I'm pissed, and you are pissing me off right now. Miss Gordon, I suggest you accept my offer and we will finish this. I lost so much money yesterday and I don't want to lose more," he said, angrily remembering the strange woman who had interrupted them inside the storage facility the last night. During the fight, some of the acetone peroxide crystals had exploded and started a fire.

"No…"

"If you don't want to, someone else will." He slammed her back against the floor "I'm going to ask you one last time…"

"Forget it…" she gasped, coughing.

He slapped her hard on her face. She clenched her teeth and curled up, her ears buzzed and she had trouble coordinating her thoughts. The pain was killing her, every movement hurt like hell.

Her thoughts flew toward Helena. She was sorry she couldn't say goodbye, couldn't see her once more.

"It's your wish not, mine." The man turned to his partner. "Finish her."

She heard him walking toward the door and the sound of guns cocking. She was done. Her mind twirled in a foggy darkness and she felt herself falling in a deep hole. She surely passed out because when she awoke again, she could feel Helena.

Was she dead?

No.

She was there…

She realized then she was resting her shoulder on a soft chest. Then, she heard her voice.

"Barbara?" Helena's fingers cupped her check.

"Hel…?" she coughed.

"Yes, it's me…" She could feel strong arms around her, but she could barely understand what she was saying. She had tried to open her eyes; she was barely able to focus.

Helena looked like an angel. Helena was saying something, but it was so hard to process the words. She felt safe in her arms.

"I knew you would come," she mumbled, before closing her eyes again. The pain in her side was too much and she passed out.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she arrived at the house, Huntress jumped the high wall. She walked carefully inside and her heart had raced when she saw the crashed car parked inside the garage. The same one the police had described. She then jumped to the second level and moved inside the house through an open window.

She had heard voices downstairs and walked down slowly. The voices came from the basement. She heard Barbara's name and her fine hearing detected a soft grunt. Huntress didn't need more.

She interrupted, breaking the heavy wooden door and landing on her feet in the basement.

She recognized immediately the person curled up on the floor.

Barbara.

She felt as if someone had squeezed her heart. Her friend was covered in blood. Her pain turned to anger, her feral eyes fixed on a man that was standing over the redhead.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, taking out a gun and pointing it at her.

She jumped on him, not giving him time to think. He had crashed hard to the floor and she knocked him out easily. A man grabbed her from behind and she pushed back. The man grunted when his back hit the wall.

She turned and hit him twice, knocking him out.

A third thug kicked Huntress and she fell against some old furniture. He attacked her, but the brunette jumped and kicked him, making him stumble back. She didn't give him time to recover and she punched him with both fists with such strength that he fell, unconscious, to the floor. She looked around, no more thugs.

She looked, then, at the unmoving form of her best friend. She felt her heart sink in her chest and ran toward the redhead.

Carefully trying to not hurt her more, she checked the wound. It was bad, very bad.

"Alfred call Leslie." She said in her mic "It's urgent, she is badly injured."

Helena cradled her head against her chest carefully.

"Barbara?" She caressed her face covered in sweat, she was in bad shape, her skin was grey. "Barbara?"

The redhead could barely open her eyes. "Hel…?"

"Yes, it's me..." Huntress said, softly caressing her hair, worried. She felt tears filling her eyes.

The redhead closed her eyes again.

"Stay with me, Barbara." Helena mumbled, "Please, stay with me."

Dinah ran down the stairs. Huntress was holding Barbara carefully against her. The redhead was covered in her own blood.

"Oh God…" she mumbled.

Huntress didn't seem to realize she was there as she just tenderly held the redhead. The brunette softly kissed to Barbara's head. "I love you, Barbara, don't worry, you are safe now."

"I knew it was you," Barbara whispered.

"Yes, I always will find you. I love you."

The older woman didn't answer, falling unconsciousness again.

"Barbara?" The brunette bit her lips, angry. "Barbara?" Fuck, those bastards. Why had they done this to her?

Dinah went to a corner and took a cotton tablecloth off the table. She covered the redhead.

Helena finally realized Dinah was there.

"We must take her to the hospital." The teen said.

"No, ride the bike. I'll see you at Clock tower" Helena put her arm around Barbara's back and rested her head against her shoulder. "I'll take her home."

Huntress lifted Barbara carefully, trying to not hurt her more. Before walking upstairs, holding Barbara against her, she stopped and looked at the teenager.

"Thanks."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she arrived at the Clock Tower, Leslie was waiting for her… She didn't care if anyone saw her running across the buildings. Luckily, night was falling and she could easily get home in short time. She arrived at the Clock Tower at the same time as Leslie. She put Barbara in the lab.

The old doctor took her scissors and cut the redhead's blouse.

"Oh my God," she mumbled, examining the gun wound.

"Will she be okay?" Helena asked.

"I'll do my best, but the bullet is inside. Alfred, I need you here."

"Can I help?" the brunette asked quickly.

"No, dear," Leslie said gently. "You are too nervous. Go to the kitchen and make some tea. Let me work."

The brunette nodded.

Sitting in the living room on the second floor of the Clock Tower, Helena brushed her hair back. She couldn't lose her, she was an important part of her life, her whole family. The woman she loved.

She knew that Barbara would never look at her as a woman, but just seeing her every day, talking to her, was enough. She didn't ask for anything more.

This couldn't be happening.

Not to her, not again.

Dinah arrived at the Clock Tower after a chauffeur had picked her up. She noticed Helena, her head buried between her hands, she looked devastated.

She didn't want to bother the brunette, so she sat on a corner not saying a word.

After three long hours, the longest hours of her life, Alfred exited the room. Helena jumped out of her seat.

"Is she okay?" she asked.

"It was a serious injury, she is in critical condition," he said sadly, cleaning his hands with a cloth. "She was very weak, she lost so much blood. We must wait."

Helena felt a knot in her throat. "Can I see her?"

"Just wait until Leslie finishes." He looked at her tenderly. "We must have hope, Miss Helena. She is a strong woman with an awful temper."

The young woman nodded and sat on the couch again, covering her head with her hands. He understood her feelings. They had been so close the last few years.

He went to the kitchen and noticed the blonde teenager sitting at the breakfast table. She looked at him expectantly.

"How is Barbara?" she asked.

"We are praying for her," he said. "It's a difficult moment. Want some hot chocolate, Miss Dinah?"

"Please."

"Dr. Leslie Thompkins is with her now. She removed the bullet, but Miss Barbara lost so much blood," Alfred explained, setting a steaming mug in front of the teen.

"Why here? Why not a hospital?"

"Miss Barbara and Miss Helena hate hospitals."

Dinah looked at Helena unmoving on the couch.

"I always see them arguing… I thought... but later… I saw… she loves her so much."

"Did you really see that by touching her hand?" Alfred asked.

"Yes…" Dinah nodded, "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to show her I wasn't lying and to help Barbara." She looked at him. "Does Barbara know?"

"I don't think so."

"And you?"

"I was fairly certain. Some looks and some gestures are unmistakable when you are in love. Miss Helena and Barbara have shared so much. "Their lives have been difficult," he explained. "They have always supported each other. It's much more than a simple friendship, it's a story of survival."

"How long have they known each other?"

"Since Miss Helena was a child. Her mother and Miss Barbara knew each other pretty well until that night. It was terrible and sad night that changed their lives forever."

"What happened, Alfred?" Dinah asked curiously.

He sat at the table in front of her. "It's a long story."

"Could you tell me?"

"It happened seven years ago," he explained. "For many years in the city of New Gotham, a secret war raged by night. Unknown to the everyday world, a battle for the very heart of the city was waged between Batman and Joker."

"Did he really exist?" Dinah asked surprised.

"Yes, he is an incredible man. On one night, the final battle was fought, and Joker lost. Joker's revenge was taken not on Batman himself, but on the ones he loved. Miss Helena's mother was The Joker's first victim. Her life was forever changed that dark night…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She watched her mother die in her arms. She lost her world in an instant. She couldn't understand why that man murdered her mom. They were just walking after attending the theater, they were making plans for dinner. The night was young, they were having fun and suddenly everything crashed. It was so unreal.

And afterwards, everything moved in slow motion. For her, the arrival of the ambulance was eternal, she kept pressing her hands over her mother's wound to stop the bleeding, calling her, asking her to react, to open her eyes.

She noticed many people around her, they were talking, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. When the paramedics moved her mom to the ambulance, she had to push back two guys that tried to stop her from follow her mother. No one was going to separate them.

A woman in the ambulance asked her questions, she couldn't remember what she had answered. She felt dazed, numb, swirling in a fog. A long "beep" indicated Selina's heart had stopped. The paramedic moved frantically inside the vehicle trying to bring her back to life, but was unsuccessful. When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, her mother was dead.

A paramedic took her from one place to another when they arrived at the hospital. Disoriented, she followed blindly. He took her to the emergency room in the hospital, She silently went where they guided her, she was too dazed to refuse or ask questions, she just did what they asked her to do.

She sat on a chair, hugging herself, crying. She couldn't stop crying. A tall police man sat with her and asked her questions, the same questions over and over. She couldn't remember if she'd seen the man, if she'd seen where he'd run, or what he had said. She could barely recall what she and her mom had been doing.

So many questions.

She answered mechanically, she couldn't remember what she answered, she just wanted to wake up from the painful nightmare. At the end, she signed some paper just because the man asked her to do it, but she didn't know what she was signing.

A woman then entered the room with a big notebook. The woman was young and pretty, a police badge was on her waist. Her voice was kind.

"Where is my mom?" Helena asked. Everybody just asked her questions, but no one told her what was happening with her mother.

The woman looked at her with sadness and understanding. "Doctors are preparing her now," she said. "I need your help, maybe you don't know, but this procedure requires authorization by an adult. Where can I contact your dad?" she asked.

Helena just stared blankly at her.

"Do you have a father? I need to contact him," the woman asked again, noticing the girl's confusion. "Your mother's husband?"

Helena shook her head lightly.

"Okay, darling, did your mother have any sisters? Cousins?"

Helena moved her head again.

"Do you have any siblings? Grandparents? Do know a close family member that we can contact?"

She didn't have any family, just her mother. That was moment that she understood she was alone in the world.

"It was just the two of us," she said with a strangled whisper.

The woman understood. This seemed to be really bad for the child. She was an orphan now, with no family. "Darling, we need contact an adult, do you understand? We need to start a procedure."

Helena looked her with moist eyes. She didn't know what to do,

The woman sighed, the girl was lost in her own pain. She needed to stop the process until they could find an adult who could take the situation in his hands. "Okay, I'll try to find someone that can help us with your mom's case and a counselor who can help you? Okay? Wait here."

The young girl didn't move. Helena remained still in her place, she didn't know what would happen next. It was terrible to realize the future was so uncertain. She was living a damn nightmare. She stayed there for long minutes, tears streaming silently down her face.

Suddenly, a name hit her mind—Barbara. Barbara could help her. She saw a phone on the far wall, she walked toward it. The shaking of her hands made it difficult to take a some change from her pockets to make the phone call.

She dialed the number and waited.

The machine answered. Damn.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helena tried again.

Again that damn machine message.

She hung up the phone with a hard thud. Where the fuck was Barbara?

The girl sat on the chair in the corridor feeling totally defeated. She had been calling Barbara just to get the answering machine answering over and over. She had been calling her for almost an hour and she didn't know what to do. She sobbed and buried her head in her hands. What was she going to do now?

She'd never felt so vulnerable and alone. A hand on her shoulder made her lift her head.

It was Commissioner Gordon, Barbara's dad. He was with two other men. She thought they were police officers, but they had long coats. A light of hope made her heart jump a bit, he could help her find Barbara.

"Helena, I'm sorry, I just heard what happened," he said. He had heard on the radio that her mother had been murdered a few hours ago.

"I need to find Barbara," she said almost with a whisper. "Do you know where she is?"

"She…" he looked toward the emergency doors.

She noticed he seemed to be disturbed too.

"Please," she pleaded, "I need to find her."

"She is hurt," he finally told her.

Blue eyes widened. "Hurt?"

"Someone shot her a few hours ago, she has been in surgery for the past two hours. I went out to check her apartment to find some clues about who did this and just came back."

"She will be okay, right?"

"I don't know, the doctor told me before he started the surgery that her condition is critical and it will be a long operation. Her internal organs are damaged."

She felt everything spinning, her knees didn't support her and the commissioner had to grab her arm so that she didn't fall to the floor. The girl let herself fall heavily on the chair. It was like being in a vacuum. There were no sounds, no sights, just a deep, dark silence.

She saw him kneeling in front of her. He said something, but she couldn't hear it. She really tried to understand what was he saying, but it was too hard.

It was when she felt a light pain on her hand, that she again became somewhat aware of her surroundings. Gordon had squeezed it to bring her back to reality.

"What happened to your mom's body? Where it is?" he asked, trying to not be rude.

The words refused to come out, she just stared at him.

"Helena, can you tell me what happened to your mom's body? What did the doctors tell you?"

This time she understood the meaning of the words, she answered with a barely audible voice. "The doctor said they needed fill out some papers. I can't sign, he asked me for an adult to fill all the papers, but I don't have any other family. Why can't I sign and take her out of here? She is my mom. I was trying to find Barbara, she could help me, but…"

"Oh man, I'm sorry." He shook his head "Look, I know a good friend of your mom is following her case. I'll call him and ask to him follow up on the process. He has good lawyers and influences, he will arrange all the details, Do you understand?"

The girl nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Will she die?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

"Barbara is strong, she will survive. We must have faith." He took a deep breath. The child was alone. He knew she didn't have family. He couldn't leave her there alone. "Look, the nurse just gave me a room upstairs. You can stay with me while we find out what's next, and while we wait for Barbara's surgery to finish, okay?"

"What will I do if she dies?" she mumbled, crying.

"She won't, trust me. She doesn't surrender that easily."

She lowered her head.

"Come with me," she felt him pulling her hand lightly. "We need to get you some clean clothes."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Gordon took Helena to the upper level of the hospital. There were private rooms like suites, with a small living room and a bathroom, separate from the hospital bed chamber. She sat there while he made some calls.

The men with him were work friends. They talked about everything that had happened.

The Joker had gotten away from the police after a Batman had caught him, only for a few hours, but long enough to shoot Barbara at her apartment and kill her mother. She didn't know who that man bat was that they were talking about, maybe a police code.

She couldn't understand why that Joker man would want to kill her mother. It seemed the Commissioner was working on the streets when his radio caught an emergency signal saying there was a 911 call in which the victim was Barbara Gordon.

A neighbor had found Barbara lying on the floor, nude, with two shots in her abdomen. She had lost a lot of blood and she had barely survived. It had been a miracle she was still alive. The bullets had damaged vital organs. One of the bullets barely miss her spine. A few inches more and she would have been crippled.

It had been the longest night of her life. Waiting was like dying slowly. She was petrified of being totally alone, Barbara was her only hope. She prayed the redhead would survive. She sat on a corner of the small couch with her elbows on her thighs and her head buried in her hands. Jim kept walking in and out of the room, answering the phone and talking with his men.

This couldn't be happening. Not to her.

"Helena?"

The girl didn't answer immediately, she heard her name far away. She lifted her head and noticed a heavy woman with blonde short hair sitting next to her.

"I'm a counselor. I want talk with you."

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I know this is not easy for you, but we must talk about what happened."

The teen stared at her as the woman began to talk and talk, but she couldn't understand what she was saying. The brunette closed her eyes and buried her head again between her hands. The woman kept talking and talking. It was too hard to focus on her.

"Helena?" the counselor asked.

"Huh…?" The brunette lifted her head and looked her.

"We need to talk." The woman leaned towards her a bit, crossing her hands over her knees.

"I don't want to talk."

"How do you feel now?"

"How I…?" Disturbed, Helena looked at her. It was a dumb question.

"Can you talk to me?"

"My mom is dead…" she said, trying to make the woman understand this was not the best moment. Why didn't Jim come back? Maybe he could kick the woman out the room.

"Yes, how do you feel?"

She shook her head. She couldn't talk about this now.

The young girl sighed and rested her back on the couch, covering her eyes with her hand. All her feelings were so confused right now. Her mind was still processing everything that was happening around her.

"I'm just trying to help you, Helena."

"I can't…"

"Can you try to talk to me?"

"Please."

"I think you can talk with her later miss…?" a voice at the door interrupted.

The woman looked up to him. "Dr. Smith."

"Dr. Smith," the man smiled and walked inside the room, with a bag in his hand. "Miss Helena needs to take a shower and rest."

Helena looked at the man, she recognized him. It was Alfred. He was a butler that was sometimes at her home or with Barbara. Her mother said he was a good friend.

"But…" the doctor started.

"I hope you understand that she is still a kid and needs to rest after everything that has happened." He explained, "Bruce Wayne, the main investor of this hospital will not be pleased to know that we didn't give the girl the correct attention. I think you can interview her at a better time."

"Excuse me," the woman said, recognizing Bruce Wayne's name. "You are?"

"Alfred Pennyworth, Mr. Wayne's butler, and the girl is the daughter of one of his most beloved friends, Ms. Selina Kyle. I hope you understand that she needs to shower and rest."

The old woman opened her mouth and nodded. "All right, I can come back later." She picked up her things and exited the room.

Helena was grateful for the woman's exit. When the woman left, Alfred smiled gently at her.

"I'm sorry. I heard about your mother," he said. "Commissioner Gordon called Master Bruce, an old friend of your mother. He wasn't at home, but the commissioner told me you were with him. Master Bruce is working on your mother's case. Don't worry, he will take care of everything." He offered her the duffel bag of clothes he had in his hands, "I think you will feel more comfortable if you change and get cleaned up."

"Thanks." She hesitated a second before taking the clothes.

Noticing her hesitation, he waved his hand toward the bathroom. "Please."

TO BE CONTINUED

She gave him a weak smile, and walked inside the bathroom. She removed her clothes, fixing her eyes on the bloody shirt on the floor. Her mom had bought it for her for this night. It was a beautiful shirt.

She turned toward the sink and took the soap. She needed to wash her hands, still stained in blood. So much blood -- she washed her hands.

The damn blood.

She started to rub her hands, frantically, trying to wash off the blood, wishing that once they were clean, everything would go back to normal. She scrubbed and scrubbed, crying.

Her hands were already clean, but she could still see her fingers stained in blood. She kept rubbing her hands against the soap.

Finally, she fell on the floor, sobbing.

This must be a nightmare, it was a nightmare. She wanted her mom back.

She wanted Barbara to be okay.

********


	8. After the Nightmare

The surgery was long.

Jim had never felt so desperate and anxious. He never expected this to happen to her. The damn crazy man had almost killed her. Barbara had changed his entire life. She had given him the pleasure of knowing what it felt like to be a father.

Now, he felt the anguish of knowing his child was hurt. At the same time, he couldn't avoid feeling sorry for Selina's daughter. Barbara told him Selina was her mother and that she didn't know who the father of the poor girl was. So, she was alone. Her future was uncertain.

The doctor appeared in the room, informing him that the surgery had been successful, but Barbara's condition was still critical. They needed to wait and see how she'd recover. Everything depended on her now.

When the doctor left, Jim covered his face in relief. She was still alive.

"Will she be okay?" Helena asked shyly.

"The hard part is over," he said, lifting his head and smiling at her. "That is good news. Now, we wait and pray that she is strong enough." He sat next to her and moved an arm around her back. "How are you?"

The teen nodded.

"I'm really sorry, Helena, this is not easy for you."

"I don't understand. My mom didn't know that man."

"Life is complicated. We will find him. The police are looking for him now."

"The police will kill him?"

"I don't think so. He will have a trial and, then, a judge and jury will decide his fate will say what's next."

"Why can't they kill him?" the teen asked. "He killed my mom."

"It's the law."

"The law is unfair," Helena said angrily.

He sighed and nodded. "Sometimes it happens, you are right. But let's wait and see what happens first. I'm sure the judge will give him life in jail."

"I don't want him in jail." Helena growled, "I want him dead."

"That is not right, Helena." Jim rubbed the palms of his hands.

"It is not right that someone kills others, no?" The young girl stood up with her fists balled, "I want him dead."

"That is illegal, Helena," he answered with a calm voice, watching her. It was the first time that night that she'd let her emotions flow out.

"The thing he just did to my mom was illegal too!!" she shouted, crying. "Why should he just be behind bars and alive when my mother is dead?"

"The law doesn't work that way." Jim understood her anger, but was trying to make her understand.

"I'll kill him!" she yelled, pacing agitatedly.

"You can't…"

"Why not?" She turned and faced him.

"The law…"

"I don't care! I want him dead!." She growled again and clenched her fists, making her knuckles turn white.

"Settle down." He stood up. He was taller than her, but it didn't seem to intimidate the thin teen.

"No! I don't want to! I'll kill him!"

"Calm down, Helena."

The brunette turned. Puzzled blue eyes looked at the old woman in front of her.

Leslie Tompkins, who was an older woman with gray hair, had been her doctor since she was a child. A friend of her mom had recommended her to Selina because she knew everything about metahumans and Leslie didn't care that they were different. Helena's mother had trusted her because Leslie was a very discreet person.

Thompkins ran a clinic for criminals and drug addicts in Gotham City. While the majority of her patients were repeat offenders, she continued to do her job with great perseverance and determination. She was a close friend of Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne's father and took it upon herself to look after Bruce when the boy's parents were killed, often acting with Alfred Pennyworth. She comforted Bruce immediately after his parents' deaths.

It was ironic that now Helena was in the same situation as Bruce years ago.

"He deserves to die, I'll kill him," Helena growled.

"You are not God to say who lives or not. You must let the justice system do its job."

"No!" The brunette walked toward her. "He killed my mother! He has no right!"

"And you don't have the right to choose his destiny." Leslie crossed her arms and looked her in the eyes. "He did wrong, but if you think you know what's right, don't walk down his path."

"He killed my mom, Leslie!" Tears appeared in the teen's eyes. "He killed her! I hate him!"

"I know, but don't be like him. Don't turn in to what you most hate."

Frustrated, the teen bit her lips to contain her anger.

"Helena, I'm so sorry," the old doctor whispered softly. "I heard what happened on the news, but the paramedics brought Barbara to the hospital and I needed be in surgery. Otherwise, I would have found you sooner."

"I couldn't say goodbye to her," the brunette mumbled, looking blankly at a point on the wall. Her mind went back a few hours. She could see the whole scene again, it was so clear in her mind "We were talking, the man bumped her… and… she fell to the ground. The man ran and I saw her lying there on the wet ground… so much blood…." Helena felt a knot in her throat, her blue eyes fixed on the old doctor. "I tried to stop it, but she was bleeding so much. I called her, Leslie, I called her, but she never opened her eyes again…."

Leslie took a step toward Helena and wrapped her arms around her. The young girl broke and buried her head in the woman's shoulder as she started to cry.

"I'm sorry, Helena, I'm so sorry," Leslie murmured as she held the sobbing teen.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Helena sat on a chair, silently watching the redhead lying on the bed.

It had been two days since Barbara had surgery, but, still, she hadn't opened her eyes. Jim had needed to leave, he asked Helena to keep an eye on the redhead. He didn't want to go, but the call from his office said it was urgent.

At least the breathing tube had been removed, but Barbara still looked so pale, her skin had an ash color.

She remembered that she almost had fainted when the doctors brought Barbara inside the room, covered in tubes. She had the same cold expression on her face as her mother. Seeing the redhead lying on that medical bed, surrounded by machines, made her lose her hope for an instant.

Helena rested her hand on Barbara's delicate fingers carefully, trying not to disturb an IV in her hand. Her fingers caressed the woman's lightly. Her eyes fixed on the light movement of her chest moving up and down. The first annoying "beep" of the heart monitor eventually became a comforting sound that soothed her at night. Each "beep" was a signal that Barbara was still alive.

She felt so tired.

Her mom's funeral had been the day before.

It had been the most depressing day of her life. Everything had looked like she was in the middle of a deep fog. She didn't remember how many people had been there or who had given condolences. Her mind was only focused in that elegant wooden box where her mother's body rested.

She knew she would never see her again.

It was so hard to see her for the last time. She cried for what felt like the entire day. She couldn't stop.

Leslie had stayed with her. She had been good company. She didn't have to talk, words were not necessary with her.

She could barely remember some friends from school there, Alfred was there, he was a nice man. Some strange people were there, Leslie said they were her mom's friends. She didn't care, she didn't know anyone. Just one, a man that she had met a few times years ago with her mom -- Bruce Wayne, a millionaire. Leslie told her he was the man who had arranged the funeral and had sorted everything out at the hospital.

She had seen him twice at the hospital, talking with Jim. He seemed to be really worried about Barbara.

At her mother's funeral, he looked very sad. He didn't talk with anyone.

Leslie said it would be good to thank him for everything later.

She was right. She couldn't have done everything he had done.

Leslie had given her some money. She didn't want it, but Leslie insisted and made her get some food, even though she wasn't hungry. She told her to buy some personal stuff and she'd claimed that she owed that money to her mother. She had bought some of her jewelry.

Of course, Helena didn't believe her.

But was a good excuse to accept the money. She needed it until she could figure out what to do. There was a lot of stuff she needed to check, like her mom's bank accounts, the apartment, her art collection. Leslie said she would help her as soon as possible.

Jim had been excused from going. He wanted to stay with Barbara, and that was fine with Helena. Barbara needed care now. After the funeral, she came back to the hospital and found Jim sobbing next to the redhead. She had never seen him cry.

She curled up on a small couch in the room. She felt so bad, so empty. She just wanted to be close to Barbara. In some way, it comforted her restless heart.

She blinked, clearing her eyes of tears. It had been a difficult day.

"Barbara," she whispered taking the redhead's hand, "please don't go…" her fingers took her index finger and squeezed it lightly. "I need you."

It felt so warm. Just holding her finger made her feel that she was not alone. She wanted to see her open her eyes. She stayed there, sitting, staring at her for a long time until she drifted to asleep.

A hand gently tapping her shoulder made her wake up. Sleepy, she yawned and looked up. It was Leslie.

"Come on, you need lunch," the old doctor said, showing her a bag with a burger and fries.

"I'm not hungry."

"You said that yesterday."

"I have to stay," she turned to look at Barbara, "Jim asked me to take care of her, he is not here."

"Let's see…" Leslie checked the monitor to the left of the unconscious redhead. After a few seconds, she took the pulse of the young woman. "She looks much better," she said, checking Barbara's pupils with her flashlight. "Her reflexes are good, her pulse is normal and her color is better."

Helena looked at her with a hopeful gaze. "Do you think she will wake up soon?"

"I hope so, dear. When I cleaned her wound this morning it was healing pretty well." Leslie smiled at her "We can eat lunch now in the living area."

"But I have to keep an eye on her…"

"Helena, you need to eat."

"Really, I'm not hungry now, Leslie," Helena mumbled.

The older woman sighed, observing the girl's reaction. Everything had been so difficult, so painful. "Helena, you need to talk with the counselor."

"I don't want to." The brunette shook her head, staring at Barbara's form.

Leslie crossed her arms and looked at her. The girl clearly wasn't in a good shape, she was seriously affected. Being with Barbara was an escape for her hurt soul, to soothe her pain. Barbara had always showed her understanding and love. She was trying to reclaim a bit of what she'd had ripped away.

"What happened is not easy, Helena," the doctor said. "You lost your mother and you need help. Don't lose your life too. Let people help you."

"I don't want to talk with anyone."

"You don't want to eat, okay, but you need to be healthy and strong to take care of Barbara. You don't want talk, okay, but you will need to do it someday. Sooner or later we must face things that we don't like. Think about that. When you start to talk about your mom, your wounds will start to heal."

Leslie patted her shoulder gently before taking the burger out the bag and walking toward the door.

"I'll take care of this little one now, but tonight I hope you will help me with a pizza. Extra cheese, double pepperoni, your favorite…"

Leslie left the room. She was a good person, but the truth was that Helena was not in mood to talk or be sociable; she felt like her heart was in thousands of pieces

Her blue pupils again fixed on the redhead.

"Wake up, please," she whispered.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________-

"Dr. Leslie Thompkins."

The good doctor heard her name a step before she walked inside her office. She turned her head. Alfred was there. They had been good friends for a long time.

After Bruce's parents were killed, she often interacted with Alfred. As a parental figure and guardian, she comforted Bruce immediately after his parents' deaths. During that time, she was concerned with Bruce's behavior as he grew increasingly antisocial.

She was even more perturbed when she discovered that, in his adult years, Bruce spent his nights fighting the criminal elements of Gotham as the Batman.

"Alfred! It's nice to see you again," she said extending her hand to him.

"It's a pleasure, madam." The butler took her hand and kissed it gently.

"Always so British, I love it! Come in." She waved him into her office.

The man followed her and sat next to her desk, as she sat down across from him.

"How is the old bat doing?" Dr. Thompkins asked, crossing her arms.

Leslie disapproved of Bruce's vigilantism, and felt partly responsible for his transformation into Batman, fearing that somehow she failed him as a role model.

When she discovered a Batgirl was around, she wondered what crazy girl would be trying to emulate him. That was the most stupid idea that she had ever heard. When she found out it was Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon, it was surprising.

Barbara, at first sight, was a very easy going and an incredibly smart girl, who avoided crazy parties and acted like an adult when her friends' behaviors were still immature.

She knew her through Batman. She never liked the idea that a woman so young and beautiful would risk her life following in the insane footsteps of Batman. But she couldn't change everybody's choices, so she accepted her as she was.

"He is very depressed," the butler said. "He still loved Miss. Kyle. He has been closed up in the manor since her funeral."

Leslie felt a deep sadness for him. It had been so difficult for the man to open his heart to love; duties had separated him from his biggest love. He thought the lives of the people of Gotham needed to be placed before his own needs, forgetting that he needed to have a life too. And now, death had stolen his love forever.

"I'm sorry for him," she mumbled.

"He is still worried about Miss Barbara." He looked at the doctor, "How has she been today?"

"I just came from there. She is doing fine, she is much better, but… I'm worried about Helena."

"The poor girl is very hurt." Alfred shook his head, he had seen the pain of a child losing his parents once and it was unpleasant. Now Helena was facing the same nightmare that Master Bruce had suffered.

"She is closed in her own pain." Leslie sighed, remembering Helena's reactions and answers. "She doesn't want to talk and she is now hiding her pain in her concern for Barbara."

"She's has known Miss Barbara since she was a small child," the old man analyzed. "Knowing that she doesn't have any family, she will see Miss Barbara as her only refuge. She doesn't want to lose her."

Leslie nodded. "Yes, I have been thinking about her. She is an orphan, and a minor at only sixteen. Social services will surely pick her up and take her to a children's home." She rubbed her chin with her fingers. "But she is meta -- that is not a safe place for her. She will be at risk."

"I thought of that as well," the old man said.

"I'm worried for her future. She is just a kid. Selina adored her, spoiled her. She's been so sheltered and, now, she's suddenly lost everything. Living in a government run facility will kill her.

"I agree. That is a poor option."

"On other hand, what if Helena is expecting to live with Barbara?" Leslie waved her hands. "What if she refuses? She is only twenty five! And then there are her extracurricular activities… "

"Indeed." He nodded.

"Her life is at risk every minute. It will break Helena's heart-"

"We must be optimistic, Miss Barbara has a great heart," Alfred pointed out, "maybe she will do it, she cares for Miss Helena very much."

"Okay, let's hope for that because I am much too old to raise a teenager," Leslie said leaning back on her chair. "Let's imagine she wants to adopt Helena. It's more difficult for a single parent to take care of the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of a child than it is for two parents. There is still hesitation on the part of many professionals to accept single parent adoption..." She sighed. "Selina will roll in her grave if that child gets lost in the system."

"Miss Barbara has the support of her father and Master Bruce."

"I know." Leslie took a pencil and played with it between her fingers. "Whatever, we must wait and see what happens. Meanwhile, I just hope Helena opens her heart and lets her anger out. She is hiding all her feelings and it is not good."

"She is upstairs?"

"Yes, Jim has been very nice, letting her stay there. Her mind is just focused on Barbara's recovery now."

He stood up, arranging his coat, and smiled at Leslie. "I came to visit both of them, Miss Barbara and Miss Helena. I'll keep an eye on her, maybe she is feeling better now."

"Well, she is not exactly in a good mood," she said, walking with him toward the door. "I was there a few minutes ago and she was grumpy, just surfing channels on the TV."

"All right. I'll stop by again when I finish my visit."

"Good luck." She winked at him. "You'll need it."

___________________________________________________________-

She felt numb and sick. Her entire body hurt, as if she had been beaten for hours. She tried to open her eyes but they were heavy. Images flowed in her mind like a movie.

"Catwoman is survived by her only daughter, Helena. Ms. Kyle has been romantically linked to the enigmatic millionaire Bruce Wayne."

She dialed Selina's house, she needed to find Helena. The kid must be scared and terrified, Selina didn't have any other family. She was orphaned at a young age and learned how to be independent by quickly learning how to survive life on the streets. She had the scars to prove it. With no family, Helena was alone in the world.

Lighting flashed and thunder rumbled. The power went out and the entire place turned dark. She heard knocks at the front door.

"Helena!" Barbara ran to the door to answer it. She opened the door. Big mistake… her concern for Helena had caused her to commit a big mistake. Her eyes widened in surprise.

The Joker was standing in front of her. He raised his gun, cocked it and fired.

There was a blinding flash, no sounds.

She suddenly felt wrapped in a deep fog, and an intense pain in her gut made it clear he had hit his target. Her mind felt drugged. She heard the Joker's voice in the distance and turned her head to look at him.

"Knock, knock ... Who's there?" He still held his gun out in front of him, pointed at her. "Batgirl ... past tense."

Barbara felt warmth underneath her. She knew it was blood, her own blood.

The Joker laughed maniacally in triumph.

Her body shook, her vision was blurred, the pain was intense. He kneeled next to her and moved his fingers to her robe to open it.

"No…" Her eyes snapped open and she tried to stand up.

Jim Gordon, seated on a chair next to her, reacted immediately. He tried to hold her down with a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Barbara, you are safe."

She struggled and he had to use both hands, trying to keep her down, but she was really strong. He never thought she could have such strength.

"Barbara, you are safe, it's me!"

"No!" Her fingers grabbed her father arms like pincers, burying her nails in his skin.

"You are okay, calm down," he said.

Suddenly, she recognized him. "Dad?" The redhead winced in pain.

"Don't move; you are hurt."

"Dad…" she moaned, resting her head on the pillow.

"Easy, you were shot, your neighbor found you," he, explained, brushing her hair, "you are safe now."

"Is it serious?"

"Almost, one of the bullets barely missed your spine. Thank God it didn't happen. You will be okay, but you need rest." Jim kissed the fingers of her hand.

The redhead tried to clear her throat. "My throat is sore," she mumbled.

"You had a breather for a day, but you will be okay."

The young woman examined the place slowly with her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Almost four days."

The memories of that night returned to her mind. She shivered remembering him pointing at her with that gun. She closed her eyes, still feeling a bit sleepy.

"Was him…" she mumbled. "It was him." Barbara tried to move her body to a more comfortable position.

"Babs, I need you to calm down, you are still healing," Jim told her, pressing his hand gently into her shoulder.

The redhead took a deep breath. She was still a few seconds, the images hit her head creating chaos in her mind. She was showering, then the shot, people frantic around her, a vehicle in movement, the hospital.

"Joker…" she mumbled, "he shot me."

"I know. Batman caught him. Don't worry, he is in prison now."

The redhead closed her eyes, organizing her thoughts, all was so confusing. Suddenly, a name came to her mind.

"Helena?" her eyes snapped open. "Where is Helena?"

"She is okay, Barbara," he said, taking her hand and still brushing her hair. "She is safe."

"Selina?" Green eyes stared at him in shock. She still hope the woman was alive.

He shook his head. She felt a knot in her throat, knowing what it would mean for her young daughter. Helena was alone in the world, she didn't have family. She was the only person she had.

"Where is Helena, Dad?"

"She is outside. She hasn't moved from here the last three days."

"How is she?" the redhead asked softly.

"You can imagine, her heart is shattered."

"May I see her?"

"You need to rest, you were seriously injured. You survived by a miracle."

"Please-"

"Please, Dad." She pressed his fingers.

He couldn't deny anything to her. He nodded and leaned to kiss her forehead. He stood up and opened the door of the private living area.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Helena stepped inside the room, feeling her heart thumping hard. Barbara was lying on the mattress with just a thin blanket covering her from the waist down. An IV was still connected to her arm. She had her eyes closed, her skin was pale, she looked as fragile as glass.

The "beep" of the monitor signaled the rhythm of her heart. Beating, strong.

She walked slowly toward her. She didn't want to bother her rest. Helena stopped close to the bed. She stayed there looking at the redhead in silence.

Barbara seemed to sense her because she opened her eyes slowly and offered a weak smile. Helena was silent as a cat, as always.

"Hey," Helena whispered. It was a miracle, she was awake again, and smiling. "How do you feel?

"Sore… How are you?" Barbara looked for her hand.

Helena moved her hand to her and laced their fingers. The teen shook her head, she hurt so much that even if she wanted to talk about it, she couldn't find words. The important thing was that Barbara was back.

"I'm sorry Helena, I was trying to locate you when…"

"Don't talk…" the young girl whispered, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm so glad you are awake, you scared me so much."

"I'm sorry, your mom was a good friend. She loved you so much. I wanted to be there with you." Barbara's felt her vision blurred with tears.

The young girl bit her lips and felt tears coming to her own eyes. "It hurts so much…" she mumbled, "hurts…"

"We will face this together, okay?" the redhead said.

Helena nodded, tears pouring silently down her face.

"Helena…" the redhead felt the girls fingers pressing hers harder, indicating the desperation inside her. A knot former in her throat at the anguish Helena's face.

"Come here." Barbara extended her free hand to her.

The girl leaned over, kneeling on the floor and resting her head on the redhead's arm, crying. She could cry with her, Barbara understood, she knew her. Barbara brushed dark hair with her free arm.

"I'm sorry, Hel." she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

It was difficult to try to explain things she didn't understand. Helena had lost the person she most loved in the world and her only family and home.

"It hurts so much…." Helena hiccupped.

Barbara caressed her hair, trying to comfort her. She knew it was difficult, but it was the only thing she could do as Helena cried long and hard, holding her arm tight.

The redhead noticed Leslie opening the door.

The old woman saw the crying child, Leslie watched her with sadness for a moment. The poor girl was living the worst days of her life. She needed to release the intense pain inside her soul. As she stepped back to close the door, Leslie wiped at her own eyes. Selina had been her friend too.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED


	9. The fugitive

Barbara was recovering. Her body was reacting to the surgery and the medication. The IV was removed the next day and she could start to eat soft food. Helena's deep sadness had a small ray of happiness, seeing that the redhead would be okay. Maybe not right away, but soon.

Jim was worried about the pressure from Social Services; they wanted to pick up Helena. It had been almost eight days since that terrible night and they insisted that she needed medical attention and orientation. With no legal power over the girl, he couldn't do much more than he had.

He needed to explain it to Helena, hoping she would understand what would happen.

He chose to talk with her while they ate lunch downstairs at the hospital.

The girl had been silent, as always. This would be hard. The nightmare that she was living was hard to endure. The pain of seeing her mother killed in front of her eyes was an unforgettable memory that always would be with her.

"Helena," he finally said, "there is something you need know."

Blue eyes looked at him with a serious expression. "Barbara?"

"No, no," he shook his head, "She is fine, she will be fine."

The kid sighed with relief.

"It's about you."

"Me?"

"Child Protective Services has been looking for you," he explained. "They want to take you to a children's home."

"A children's home? Why?" She let her fork fall on the plate.

"Because you are only sixteen. You are a minor."

"But I have a home. My home. The apartment." She didn't need to go to any place, she had her own house.

"Yes, but according to the law, you have to have parents or family that can take care of you." He moved his head. "But in your case, you don't have family. So, the state has the obligation of taking care of you until you are eighteen."

"I don't want to go!" Helena stated, outraged.

The old man exhaled, moving his coffee, "I'm sorry, but this is not something you, Barbara or I can choose. They have been insisting on picking you up. They say you need attention. I have been holding them off, but I can't hold them back anymore. I don't have any legal power, nor does Barbara. So, the state wants to protect you."

The brunette stared at him in shock. She couldn't leave her home! Inside were all her mother's things -- her clothes, her bed, her beloved paintings. Her own things were there as well -- her room, her stuff, her memories.

Jim played with his moustache a few seconds, the girl seemed to be disturbed.

"I promise I will ask permission to pick you up every eight days and take you to see Barbara."

"I don't want go." Helena said scared "They don't have the right. I don't need to be protected."

"We can't choose, I'm sorry, Helena."

The girl nervously moved the fork on her empty plate. He was right. He and Barbara couldn't do anything. This was unexpected. "When are they going to come?"

"They said tomorrow morning."

Helena was officially panicked. She tried not to show her fear to Jim.

"I can take you to your home to pick your clothes and…" he remembered, with sadness, Barbara. She was an orphan too, but she was lucky, she had him and his wife. It made it easier for the young redhead to endure her pain. Helena was alone.

There was a deep silence between them.

The brunette kept staring at her plate thinking. First her mother, then Barbara, now this. What the hell was happening? The world was turning upside down. She left the fork on the plate and inhaled deeply. Life sucked.

"We'll try to help. You know Barbara will never leave you alone."

"But I must go there…" she mumbled. "I can't go back to my own house."

"You can go back eventually, but you need… to wait until you are… eighteen."

"It's absurd, Jim. It's my mom's home, my things," she said to him. "I can do things on my own, I walk to my school every day."

"There are many legal issues that you still can't handle, Helena," Jim explained. "The law just wants to protect you."

"The law couldn't protect my mom," she said with a bitter voice. "Why are they so sure that they can protect me?"

She stood up and walked toward the restaurant exit.

"Helena…" Jim stood and tried to stop her "Helena, come back."

He didn't follow her. It was best to let her think alone. He took a sip of coffee and stared at the girl's empty plate. He felt bad for her, but he was sure the counseling and attention they could give her would be helpful. Now he needed to talk with Barbara. She needed to know, as well.

* * *

Helena's steps took her to Barbara's room. She leaned her back on the wall and rested her head on it too, closing her eyes.

Going to a Children's home was not the future she had planned. No way she would spend the next two years of her life with complete strangers just because the law said "it was best." No one was going to take her away from the home her mom had built for them.

She began to pace in front of the room, she couldn't sit around and wait. If Social Services got her, it would be over. They weren't going to put a hand on her…. the problem was that she didn't have any place to go, to hide.

Leslie would never agree to help her to escape Social Services, she was on her own.

* * *

Barbara's nurse helped her brush her hair. It was hard to move with the wound in her abdomen, it hurt if she reached too far. She had learned that when she had tried to stretch that morning. She hated hospitals, hospital food and hospital gowns.

When the nurse finished, she helped Barbara lean back in her bed. It was not in a position that let her sit up all the way and it was still painful to move. The doctor said she needed to be in the hospital for another five days before she could go home.

She was worried about Helena. The kid had faced a terrible tragedy and Barbara wanted to recover as soon as possible so she could help her. Who could have imagined that a crazy man would stab Selina in a street full of people and in front of her daughter? Her father had told her the police were still was investigating, trying to find the murderer.

Soft knocks at the door called her attention.

"Come in," she said, arranging the blanket over her waist.

"Hey." A dark head appeared.

"Hey, come here… How was lunch?"

"Uh…" Helena walked inside. "Fine? Jim is nice."

"Yes, he is… Dad looks as like very tough man, but he is very sweet."

"He scared me so much when I was younger." The brunette pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed.

"Really?"

"Yes, he just looked at me like I was an alien."

Barbara smiled, remembering her dad didn't like the idea that she and Selina were be good friends, mainly because of the rumor that she had once been Catwoman.

For instance, acting as the occasional babysitter of Selina's child was an idea that he thought was dangerous.

"But he has been nice with you here…"

"Yeah." The teen nodded. "He let me stay here. He helped me with my mom's stuff…"

The redhead observed her in silence for long seconds, Helena was avoiding looking at her straight in her eyes.

"How are you?" she finally asked the girl.

"Fine. Did you know that the doctors said you can go home soon."

"Yes." Barbara noticed Helena was avoiding talking about herself. "Believe me, I will be very happy get out of here."

"They said you will start to walk soon."

"I took my first steps a few moments ago." The redhead said, "It hurt like hell. I felt like a baby."

"But it's good you have started to walk." Helena smiled at her.

"Yea, but I'll need therapy for a few months."

"Why therapy?"

"Just to help me to walk again. The shot was close to my spine."

"I heard your dad say you were close to being crippled." The brunette laced her fingers nervously.

"Yes, I'm lucky." Barbara noticed the light movement. Helena seemed to be stressed, she wondered if it was because she was still wrapped up in her own pain.

"I'm really happy for you, your dad was really worried."

"Yes, I appreciate that you stayed here… with all that happened."

The young girl lowered her head, she didn't have any other place to go, she was alone. Barbara was the only person she trusted and, now, she needed to leave. She didn't want to do it but it was her only choice, she didn't want to be locked up in some home with strangers.

Green eyes looked at the girl. She was thin and pale, the weight of her pain from the last few days were evident in her appearance "Are you okay, Helena?" Barbara asked again, gently.

"Yes, just tired." The young girl lowered her head, trying not to cry.

Barbara exhaled. Helena was not a good liar. "You don't have to lie to me."

"I just need to sleep a bit and I'll be okay," the brunette said, trying to sound animated.

"You can talk to me anytime."

"Ok. Thanks." She stood up, she couldn't stay any longer. She felt tears coming again to her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Barbara asked.

"You need to rest and…" she waved her hands toward the door, "and I want go back home and pick up some clean clothes."

"Ask my dad to give you a ride."

"Oh no, Gibson's mom told me that she… she will pick me up…"

"Gibson's mom?"

"He has been calling me every day," she moved in her place nervously, "asking me how it's going, and asking about you too."

"Dad could give you a ride," the redhead insisted, she didn't like the idea of Helena heading home alone. Clearly, the girl's pain was still very raw.

"He is worried about you and I… I don't want him to have to leave you, he has done enough for me."

"Okay, come back soon."

"Sure, sure…" Helena stepped back slowly, "I'll be back in a few hours."

The brunette stopped at the door, looking back at Barbara for a moment. She was very pained by the idea of not seeing her again anytime soon. At least she was okay now. Helena needed to focus on herself.

"Bye," she said quietly, stepping outside.

"Bye…" Barbara waved her hand, even as her intuition told her something was wrong.

* * *

Barbara's father returned to the room an hour later. He had finished lunch and made some phone calls to his office. When he opened the door, he found his daughter reading a book. She had always loved books, since she was a girl. She used to get lost in her fantasies.

Now, he needed to talk with her about Helena's situation. He didn't see the girl around, which was good. He wanted to speak with Barbara alone. Having Helena close would be uncomfortable for the poor child.

She smiled as soon as she saw him appear in the door frame.

"Hi Daddy," she greeted, closing the book and resting it on her legs.

"Hey Babs, feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks." She kissed him on his cheek, "Just a bit uncomfortable, it's not pleasant to be in bed all day."

"I understand. Do you want me to help you with the pillows behind your back?"

"Yes, please." She leaned downwards carefully. "How was lunch with Helena? She said you were very nice with her."

"It was good." He arranged the pillows behind her back, "We ate big burgers."

"Now I understand why she finally ate something. She loves junk food."

"She eats as much as a small army," he said, helping her lean back again.

"Tell me about it." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks."

She knew he didn't like the girl so much just because of Selina. She was a woman that he distrusted. His detective instinct was strong and he was right about his feelings. Selina was once Catwoman, but he failed thinking she was still a criminal. She changed so much when Helena was born.

"We need to talk about Helena." He sat down in the chair that Helena had pulled up to the bed.

She didn't like the tone of his voice.

"Something wrong?" Barbara asked, concerned.

"Child Protective Services has been looking for her," he explained to the redhead, brushing his moustache with his fingers. "They want to take her into custody."

"Oh God." That was like a cold shower for the redhead. She had forgotten the legal issues with orphans.

"She is just sixteen-- a minor and an orphan." Jim leaned back in his chair. "We are not her legal guardians or family. The law is very clear about it. This was going to happen sooner or later."

Barbara was annoyed, she knew about laws and he was right. They couldn't ask or demand anything, they didn't have any legal power over Helena. "Dad, this is terrible. She just lost her mother."

"I know, but…" he sighed, feeling really bad, "we can't do anything."

"Locking her up in a children's home will kill her. She's been so sheltered."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I asked and I tried, but I could only delay them for a few days. Now I can't hold them off anymore. They will pick her up tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning? That is too soon!" This was so unexpected.

"I know, I already talked with her… She needed to know."

"What did she say?" The redhead brushed her hair back, trying to think of a solution.

"You know, she didn't like the idea… but she needed to know, she had a right to know."

"We can't let them…" Barbara analyzed the situation, Helena would never go to a Children's home, she was a sweet girl, but stubborn and hard headed. The main risk was that she is meta. All it would take would be her getting angry once and people would discover who she was. Her dad didn't know about Helena's unique skills, and she thought it best not to tell him. It would mean too many explanations… None of which she was inclined to give.

If people found about Helena, they would try to use her as a guinea pig.

"Barbara…" Jim said, resting his hand over hers, "we are not her family, you must understand. I know all of this has been hard, but we are not responsible for her."

"I know, I know, I'm thinking."

Barbara let her head fall on the pillow and closed her eyes. It would break her heart to see Helena in the hands of a stranger. She loved the girl, but try to adopt her would take a long time and she would have trouble getting it to go through. She had many things against her.

Selina would die again if she knew that her beloved child would end up as an orphan in a Children's home.

When Barbara was thirteen, her mother and father were tragically killed in an automobile accident (due largely to her father's drinking problem). After the accident, her uncle, James Gordon and his wife (also named Barbara) adopted the orphaned Barbara.

If they hadn't been there, she surely would have spent all her childhood and teenage years in a children's home, alone. She didn't want that for Helena.

"I told her I can pick her up every eight days and…" Jim said.

"I can request a legal guardianship," Barbara interrupted him.

"Excuse me?"

"I can ask for a legal guardianship."

He couldn't believe what was he hearing, but his daughter's voice was clear and firm. She wasn't joking. What was she thinking? She couldn't be responsible for a teenager.

"I know the law. I can do it, Dad."

A legal guardianship gave an adult who was taking care of a child the _formal_ authority to provide for the child's needs. With a legal guardianship, a non-parent could give a child a safe home.

"Barbara, I don't think…"

"A legal guardian has the same responsibilities for care and control of a child as a parent does. A legal guardian must feed and clothe the child, provide for the child's education and medical attention. A legal guardian must also be kind and loving toward the child. I know her, she knows me, I can do it. I can raise her."

"Babs, you must think about this.." He covered her hand with his palm. He didn't want to see her restless, she was still recovering, and knowing how stubborn she was…

"Setting up a legal guardianship is a simple process." Green eyes shone.

Barbara began to talk faster, trying to explain. She was so excited about the idea, it must work, it was perfect!

"First," she said, "I do not need lawyers. My petition of legal guardianship will not have objectors, because Helena doesn't have family. Second, any adult, eighteen or older, can serve as a legal guardian for a child under eighteen. Third, I'm good with paperwork and I can fill out the forms and petitions and give them to the court. The Department of Social Services will investigate me to see if the legal guardianship will be good for the child. I have a good reputation, Dad, you too, I can do it. The court will schedule a date for a hearing, at which time a judge will decide whether the legal guardianship is in the minor's best interest in just one session, no more."

"You are very sure, eh?" Jim asked, amused, squeezing her hand in a gesture of support.

"Call them," Barbara asked him. "Tell them I'll start the process. An adoption will be denied, I'm young, I'm single, and you know how long it would take, but, if I ask for a guardianship, it will be easy. I need you to get me all the necessary paperwork."

"It's a great responsibility, Barbara."

"I know, but I can't leave her alone. I know how she is feeling now, I know how empty you feel when you lose your mother. I was an orphan too, remember?"

Jim bit his lips, thinking. Why was it so damn hard to argue with her?

"You and Aunt Barbara helped me survive my pain." Barbara cupped his cheek with her hand. "I couldn't have done it alone. I can't let Helena face her grief alone. I know what it would mean and I don't want that for her. If I can help her, I'll do it."

"I understand, Babs. Don't worry. I can work on it."

"Tomorrow?"

"First thing."

* * *

It was a weird feeling. She felt warmth enveloping her as soon as she walked inside her home – through the window, of course. The apartment was in one of the most luxurious areas in the city. She knew that if the doorman noticed her walking inside, he would report her immediately. So she had chosen to free climb it.

Her night vision let her see as clear as day. Everything was in the same place as it had been that day. It seemed as if the woman that cleaned the place was still doing her job. She checked the front door. It was locked.

She walked around her home. It was surreal, her mother's touch in each painting on the wall, in each sculpture. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her fragrance still lingered. It felt so good to smell her again. She was starting to forget it.

She sat on the couch in the living room, staring silently at the walls and furniture for long minutes. She was in her home. It was still her home and they wanted her to move out of there. No way she would do it.

She didn't know how long she was just there, sitting. It seemed as if she would hear the front door opening at any moment and see her mom walk in with a big smile on her face.

She felt so tired, so dead. It was hard to describe all the emotions inside her. She finally stood up and walked to her mother's bedroom. The door was closed, she put her hand on the knob and turned it slowly.

The room was just as had been the day that they left, the red coat her mom hadn't worn was resting over a single couch close to the window. Her shoes close to the night stand.

The brunette locked the door behind her and walked toward the nightstand, she picked up a picture of her and her mom hugging and smiling with Mickey Mouse ears.

She laid down on the bed staring at the picture. It had been a year ago, on her 15th birthday. They had gone to Disney World and spent an incredible week there, having fun like kids. She sniffed back some tears.

A sudden noise made her turn her head. It was the front door opening.

"Mom?" she mumbled, standing up.

Maybe it had all had been a nightmare, a bad dream. An impulse to run and shout her name hit her, but she stopped. She listened carefully.

There were steps, not of one, but two people, and they were heavy. Men, not women.

Thieves?

A male voice called her name. She ran to the door and opened it a bit. She peeked out and saw policemen.

Her heart pounded against her chest. They wanted to take her away from her home. Not thinking, she put the photo on the nightstand and opened the bedroom window carefully to slip out to the balcony. They would surely look inside the closets and rooms.

Outside, she looked up. The rooftop was close, she jumped there easily and looked down. The light in the living room was on. She noticed in a few seconds that the light in her mom's room turned on. She heard familiar noises. They were looking for her, as she had thought, inside the closets.

The policemen were inside her home for almost ten minutes. She noticed the lights turning off and the front door closing. She moved to the front of the building and looked down until she saw the two men walk outside of the building and get in their patrol car. When the vehicle turned the far corner, she walked back.

Easily, she jumped down to her mom's balcony and opened the glass door. She stepped in silently and checked all around. All clear.

She sat on the bed, she was in trouble. She needed to think of a way to escape social services, but now, she felt so tired and she was at her home and safe. She let herself fall back on the soft mattress.

She felt her mom was still there. She could smell her in the blankets, in the pillow; her clothes were still there. Helena hugged the pillow close to her nose and inhaled deeply.

She was not going to let them send her to any Children's home.

The young girl had been teary all afternoon. Now, locked in her mother's room, her scent still permeating the air, Helena cried until she fell asleep.

* * *

"She is running away, I'm sure of it," the redhead said, worried. Helena hadn't returned to the hospital the prior night nor in the morning. Now, it was close to midday and she was still missing.

Jim tried to calm her. "I sent some of my men to look for her at her home, but they were there last night and she wasn't there."

"They won't find her." Barbara sighed, knowing Helena she would easily escape the police.

The man picked up a call on his cell at the time that Leslie entered in the room.

"She didn't come back after she left," Barbara told the doctor. "She was lying. I called Gibson and he told me he hasn't talked with Helena in days.

"She is not home." Jim said hanging up his phone, "My men checked everywhere, but it was empty. Everything was in order."

"She is there, I'm sure of it." Barbara shook her head. Helena could easily hide.

"Well," Jim said, walking toward her "I will send them to check your home, too. Where else might she go?"

"When a kid is scared, anyplace is good place to hide." Barbara sighed.

"We will find her soon, Babs, don't worry." Her dad rubbed her back.

The part that worried Barbara was that she was very sure that Helena would find a way to survive using her meta-skills and, if that happened, the probability of finding her would be much less.

"I promise to check Selina's apartment before I go home today, okay?" Leslie said. "If Jim asks the doorman to open it, I'll do it."

"If that helps to make feel you better, I'll do it, Babs."

"Please," the redhead said.

"All right. I'll do it." Leslie smiled at her, "We will find her, be sure of it."

"I hope so, she is so afraid that strangers will take her," the young crime fighter said. "I understand how she is feeling. I felt in the same way years ago."

"Don't worry, I don't want you feeling stressed just because of this. It's not good for you," the old doctor said. "I promise I'll call you when I finish checking Selina's place."

The redhead nodded and stared at the window, it was starting to rain. Rain was beautiful, but when depression was close, it was not a nice partner.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	10. A new Home

Lasagna. It was great. The brunette licked her fingers after finishing another slice. It was good the fridge had still food and was full.

She was checking the bank account statements and other papers her mom had in a file cabinet. She was the beneficiary on all the accounts and, of course, she knew the codes to everything. The apartment was in her name and totally paid for.

That wouldn't be an issue. The issue was avoiding being caught by the social services guys and the police. They already had been there twice -- last night and this morning. She rested her cheek on her palm and stared at a picture of her mom on the table in the kitchen. She had put it there so as to feel so alone.

"What do I do now, Mom?" she mumbled. Her thoughts wandered to Barbara. How was the redhead now? She had gone to the hospital last night and looked in on her through the window from the closest building. She seemed to be doing fine. She had been playing chees with her dad.

She sighed.

She had wished so much to be close to her. She was like her family, the family she had already lost.

Her fine hearing drew her attention back to the apartment. There were footsteps. Something told her she needed to go. It could be the police again. She picked up the empty plates and put them inside the stove.

She then heard keys in the door. She picked up her mom's picture and ran toward her mother's room.

Leslie opened the door with the keys the doorman had lent her. As soon as she was inside, she detected a light movement at the end of the hallway. She was sure she had seen a shadow. She closed the door softly.

"Helena? It's me, Leslie. Are you here?" She walked toward Selina's room slowly. "We are worried about you. Barbara has been asking for you. Come here and we can talk. No one is angry, don't be afraid. Barbara is working on getting a legal guardianship, you can live with her and not go to the Children's home."

She opened Selina's room but it was empty.

She was sure she had seen the brunette around, she examined the place carefully, but everything was in place. She opened the window to the balcony. It opened easily and she walked outside. Looking around, she noticed the rooftop was close, an easy leap for Helena.

She had a feeling the shadow she had seen had been the teen. Knowing her meta skills, she could escape. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms tapping her fingers against her upper arms.

She walked inside the room again and closed the window… She hesitated a few seconds looking at the door. She smirked and locked the door. She then walked to the living room and unlocked the glass door of the balcony there. If Helena was there, and she was quite sure she was, she would have a hard time finding out that the living room was now the door that was unlocked.

The next day Leslie stepped inside Selina's apartment. She left a bag on the kitchen counter and walked around trying to find any trace of the brunette. She was sure the girl was hiding there. She walked around, examining each corner.

Selina had exquisite taste in art and decoration. It was excellent. She wondered how much money was invested there.

"Helena? Are you there?" she asked in a loud voice. "Please, I want talk to you."

After long minutes she gave up. The girl surely was hiding again, far from the apartment. She stepped back in to the kitchen and opened the plastic bag. She removed some items and put them inside the fridge before leaving.

* * *

Barbara couldn't sleep, she had tried, but it was impossible. Her abdomen had been hurting with cramps almost all night and her mind wouldn't stop wondering where Helena could be.

She was stupid, how could she believe that lie about Gibson giving her a ride to pick up some clothes? When her father told Helena about the Social services looking for her, it was obvious the girl would feel scared try to run away. She was like a housecat who loved to be petted and spoiled.

She just needed five minutes with the teen. Five minutes to explain what would happen, that she was fighting for her and she would get have custody.

The redhead winced and moaned, the pain was strong. Maybe she had moaned too loudly because her dad, who was sleeping close to her, woke.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting up.

"It hurts." She put her hand over her abdomen and closed her eyes in pain. Her wounds were still healing and these sudden spasms of pain where common.

"I'll call the nurse. Maybe you need a strong dose of that sedative."

"No, I'm okay. I'll be all right," she said.

"I don't think so." He stood up and pressed the button to call the nurse.

Barbara didn't answer, she bit her lips. Damn, it hurt. Maybe her dad was right about calling the nurse.

"Dad…" she winced "Did you take the papers to the Court?"

"Yes, I did. Now keep still for a bit." He took her hand. "You will hurt yourself if you move too much."

She hated feeling so useless. She hated just lying there while Helena was stuck in her deep grief. She never had felt so useless in all her life.

Barbara had gone home and as soon as her father had gone – Leslie had promised to take care of her that night. The gentle doctor had helped the redhead get inside her car. They were off to look for Helena. Leslie drove toward downtown. Barbara was surprised when Leslie parked her car in front of Selina's apartment building.

"What are we doing here?"

"I told you I know where Helena is."

"Yes, but I thought… the police have looked for her here and so have you," Barbara said.

"I know, but I had some suspicions that were confirmed this morning." The doctor opened Barbara's door. "She is here."

"How do you know?"

"Last night, I left some chocolate cake in the fridge. This morning, it was gone." She winked and stepped outside the vehicle to help Barbara into the wheelchair. The redhead was still not ready to do much walking.

* * *

Leslie opened the door of Selina's apartment and was greeted by silence. She looked around, the place seemed to be empty. Barbara waited in the corridor behind her. She still wondered how Leslie had convinced her to come here. The whole idea was absurd, she was healing. If her father knew she was out, he would kill her… well, maybe she would say the outing was under a doctor's supervision, that wasn't a lie.

She heard loud noises inside and rolled her eyes. Leslie could never have been a good vigilante. If Helena was inside and Leslie was trying to catch her, that wasn't the best way.

After a few minutes, Leslie reappeared and pushed the wheelchair inside the apartment.

"Leslie, with all that noise, I almost ran scared, too," the redhead protested.

"Just be quiet," the elderly doctor whispered and moving towards the large kitchen pantry. She pushed Barbara inside and stepped again toward the main door.

"Leslie, what the hell….??" Barbara started.

"Shhhh…." Leslie hissed, glaring at her.

Making a big noise, the doctor closed the door and walked silently to the pantry and pulled the door closed, leaving only a small crack from which they could see out.

"If you were a crime fighter, you would be dead in under five minutes," Barbara mumbled.

"Don't talk." Leslie waved her hand. "She can hear us."

"Us? You make as much noise as an army."

"Shut up or I'll tape your mouth."

Barbara sighed.

They remained still for long minutes. Barbara began to felt impatient. She checked her watch, they had been sitting in the dark for over ten minutes.

"Leslie, I…"

"Shhh, just be patient," the old woman whispered.

The redhead sighed. She still thought this was a very stupid idea. Helena couldn't be… suddenly, they heard the sound of a door opening. It came from Selina's room. Barbara felt her heart thumping hard against her chest.

After another few seconds, she heard a cough, and Helena's thin figure appeared. The girl went straight to the fridge and opened it. The girl sneezed into a tissue.

She took a bottle of milk.

"I told you." Leslie grinned.

The brunette arrested her movement and kept still, listening.

Barbara opened the pantry door.

"Helena."

The girl, terrified, jumped back. Wide blue eyes looked at them in surprise. Crap, they had caught her! They would take her to some children's home; she couldn't let them take her there. Moving faster than she'd ever moved in her entire life, she set the bottle on the table and ran toward her mother's room.

"Helena! Don't go! I need to talk to you!" Barbara shouted.

Leslie moved past Barbara and followed the brunette. She was fast. When Leslie arrived in the hallway, Helena had disappeared.

"She always uses Selina's balcony to jump to the rooftop," Leslie said. "Go there and speak loudly, she will be up there. I'll go to the roof."

The redhead pushed the wheels of the chair towards Selina's room. Damn, it was hard to handle the wheelchair. She bumped against the wall a few times before reaching the balcony. The glass door was half opened and she pushed herself out to look around.

Yes, she had definitely jumped to the roof. The next building was too far.

"Helena, I want to take you home!" Barbara shouted. "I want you to live with me! I filed with the courts!"

Hidden behind a water pipe, Helena crouched. She expected everything except seeing the redhead inside her house. She was supposed to be at the hospital. Helena had been there last night and watched her though the window. Barbara was lying. She was sure of it. She just wanted her to come down so she could take her to the Children's home. She didn't want to go there.

"Helena, please," she heard Barbara's voice again. How had she found her there? How had she known? "Listen to me. No one is going to take you away. You can live with me, but I need you to come back."

The brunette covered her nose and sneezed. Damn cold. It would be best to move far from there. But, now what would she do? She couldn't go back to her house anymore and her stuff was there.

"Well, well, I found you." She heard Leslie's voice at her back.

Helena was hard to find, but the noise from her sneeze had helped the old doctor to catch her.

The brunette made an attempt to move, but Leslie pointed at her with her index finger.

"Don't you dare run away from me again!" Thompkins said with a firm voice, scolding the teen. "We need to talk. We have been worried sick about you for days."

"I don't want to go there." The teen growled annoyed, "I'm not going to move there!"

Leslie kneeled in front of her. "You are not going anywhere. Barbara is telling the truth. She has asked the court for custody, so you can live with her."

"Really?" Helena looked at her with an incredulous face.

"Yes," the old woman smiled. "Come on, you don't have any idea how worried we have been."

The teen stood up.

"And now help me to stand up because I think that my knees are stuck," Leslie grumbled in annoyance. "I'm not sixteen, you know?"

* * *

Barbara looked up impatiently. There'd been no answer. Maybe she had gone. She tapped the wheelchair's arm.

"Leslie? Is she there?" she shouted, looking up to the rooftop. It was a clear night.

She heard steps inside the apartment and looked inside, expectantly.

"We are here," Leslie announced from inside the apartment.

The redhead pushed the chair inside the room. As soon as she was inside, she saw Helena stepping in, wearing black sweat pants and a big white sweatshirt. She extended her arms to her and smiled in relief.

"Helena, you scared me."

The girl went toward her and leaned down to hug Barbara gently.

"I'm so glad you are okay."

"Never do this again." Barbara touched her cheek. "You are warm."

The brunette coughed and stepped back. "I have a cold."

"What happened?" the redhead asked, worried.

"Someone locked the balcony door the other night and it was raining." The brunette glared at Leslie.

"I was sure you were here." The doctor smirked.

"You knew? Why did you close the door then?" Helena protested.

"I like to play games, too." Leslie said, "Come on, a cold won't kill you. I'll give you some cold medicine and you will fine."

"Helena, don't worry," Barbara explained, "I asked the court for custody. You are not going anywhere."

"Really?"

"Really. I filed to be your legal guardian."

Helena sat on the bed and frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The guardianship is a legal arrangement in which an adult has the court-ordered authority and responsibility to care for someone under eighteen," she explained. "A guardianship may be necessary if a child's parents die. I filed the papers. The older the child, the more likely the judge will consider the child's wishes."

"It's a short procedure," Leslie added. "Six to eight weeks after the papers are filed, it should be complete."

"I think I will get it easily. I worked in social services long time and I've had good jobs, my father's reputation helps too."

"Do I have to stay at that place while they work on it?" Helena fearfully looked at Barbara.

"No, my dad asked for permission from the judge to stay with me while the procedure is authorized. He is an old friend and Dad explained your situation."

Helena suddenly felt a big relief inside her. This was good news.

"You don't need to keep hiding and running," Leslie said.

The brunette was silent for a few seconds. "What will happen to our home?"

Barbara looked at her; Helena could be thinking about the possibility of staying here. That hadn't occurred to her before. "Do you want keep living here?"

The brunette looked around, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes checked every corner, every piece of furniture, until her gaze stopped at the nightstand where her mother's picture was. It had been her home, but now… now she was gone. She had nothing, just a photo, the memory of her smell, her laugh, her love…

"No," Helena said.

The sharp tone surprised Barbara and Leslie.

"No?" the redhead asked.

"She is not here…" Helena mumbled, finding something very interesting to look at on the floor. "It would never be the same…" She lifted her blue eyes to Barbara. The days she had been there alone had been terribly painful. Every corner, every object, brought back a painful memory of her life with her mom, a life that she could never go back to, a life that was lost forever. "My home is gone. Can we go now?"

* * *

The brunette was surprised when Leslie's car moved inside that amazing old building, it was the highest in New Gotham. The parking lot was huge, but Leslie drove toward a place that seemed to be private.

"What are we doing here?" the girl asked while the elevator moved toward the upper levels.

"It's our new home," Barbara said.

"Home? And your place?"

"Like you, I don't want to stay there, bad memories…" the young crime fighter explained. "And this place has a great security system. The code to access the penthouse is private."

"Penthouse? Wow."

The elevator doors opened and sparkling blue eyes marveled at the place. It was a cool apartment.

Barbara smiled noticing the look on the young girl's face.

"It's amazing," Helena said walking inside. "Is it really the penthouse?"

"Yes."

The girl ran toward the balcony doors in the living room.

"Seems that she likes it." Leslie smiled.

"Yes." Barbara agreed.

After the shooting, Barbara had discovered how vulnerable she was, so she'd begun to look for a place while she was recovering in the hospital. Bruce was the owner of the building and had suggested the place. He had already finished remodeling it and thought it was perfect for Barbara. It had a secret entrance and, at the top, was the old city clock.

The penthouse had two rooms, perfect for her and Helena, she just needed to buy the girl some furniture. With the Bruce's help, she had already had all her furniture moved to the penthouse.

"I think she is happy," Barbara said, watching the brunette on the balcony.

"Looks like it. What are you planning to do with Selina's apartment?"

"Keep it until Helena decides what she wants to do with it, I can send someone to keep it clean. It's too soon to force her to make a decision about it."

"Good idea."

"Hey." Helena appeared, suddenly, "That balcony is cool."

"So, you approve?" Barbara smiled.

"I love it!" Helena said, excited. "You can see the whole city below! This is the highest building in the city!"

"Good, let's celebrate your new home. I'm starving," Leslie said rubbing her hands. "Anyone want pizza?"

* * *

Leslie and Barbara drank a cup of coffee after dinner as they sat at the kitchen table. Helena had fallen asleep on the living room couch.

"She is really tired," Leslie noted, looking at the girl.

"It's been hard for her," Barbara said, "she lost her mother and had to face it all alone."

"It's a shame," Leslie shook her head, "Selina was a great woman and a wonderful mother. She loved her so much. Every time she talked about Helena her face lit up."

"Yes." Barbara nodded sadly. "She was her most valuable treasure. She changed her whole life for her. She was another woman after she was born."

"This will not be easy for you. She is filled with pain."

"I know."

The old woman sipped her cup of coffee and lowered the mug.

"It's good that you moved," she said to the red head. "It will be better for her."

"Yes," Barbara smiled, "you must see the upper level, it's a huge place."

Leslie looked around. "Where are the stairs?"

"You can't get there using stairs, just in the elevator and with a secret code."

"Good place to hide out." Leslie looked at her with a serious expression.

"Are you seriously thinking about continuing as Batgirl?"

The redhead took a deep breath.

When she and her father ran and won an election to the U.S. House of Representatives, she intended to give up her career as a superhero. However, due to the demands and the popularity of Batgirl, she returned.

When she lost her re-election bid, she then returned to Gotham City and took a job as a social worker. Batgirl was shot and nearly killed by the Commorant; this caused her to have a serious crisis of faith and she briefly retired as Batgirl.

After a talk with Batman, she returned to face down and capture the villain, and Batgirl continued to thrive.

But after that success, the ghost of retirement had been haunting her. Maybe the Joker's shooting and the fact that she had almost been paralyzed by one of the bullets were a clear signal that she needed to quit.

Helena needed all her attention and care.

On the other hand, she loved the adrenaline running through her veins, she loved the sensation of the cold wind against her face and the feeling of freedom as she crossed between building with the help of her bat-rope.

"I don't know," she finally admitted.

"You don't know?"

"I don't want to think about it now."

* * *

She was bleeding, she tried to stop the hemorrhaging unsuccessfully. She was bleeding so much.

She shouted at people to stop the murderer, he was standing a few steps far from her. She tried to stand up to catch him, but she found herself stuck in something gummy. It was blood.

The blood became deep and she began to sink on it.

She yelled and fought in a desperate attempt to free herself.

She awoke, frightened.

Where was she?

Her eyes darted frantically around the room.

She remembered everything, suddenly. She bent her legs and covered her eyes. It was a nightmare, another one. She had nightmares almost every night. She stood up, drowsy, and walked toward the redhead's room.

She stood there a moment. Barbara was deeply asleep; she could tell from her breathing -- steady and low. She looked back toward the couch. If she slept there, the nightmares would come again.

Taking care not to wake Barbara, she opened the door and slipped inside the bedroom. Barbara was still healing, Leslie checked her every day and said she was doing better. Helena paused, looking at her, hesitating. She gazed again toward the door.

Decision made. She moved softly and pulled back the covers of the empty side of the bed, slipping in silently. She kept on the far side of the bed to avoid waking or hurting Barbara. She rested her head on the pillow and watched her. She was sleeping peacefully.

She felt tired, very tired, but was afraid to close her eyes because the nightmare might come back, but her eyelids felt heavy. She blinked to keep her eyes open. The days had been so hard and tiring, this was the first time in weeks she felt calm, relaxed. Her eyes started to close.

She blinked again. She needed to stay awake.

…But the weight of her eyes was too much.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	11. Beginning

"How is she doing?" Leslie asked, checking the wound on the redhead's abdomen.

"Better, but closed off. She doesn't want to talk much and is in a bad mood. She tried, but she can't. She doesn't know how to express all the anger and frustration." Barbara lied on her bed, observing Leslie's work.

"She is very temperamental, eh?"

"Yes," Barbara agreed. "I have found her in my bed a few times. I guess she feels alone."

"What did you say to her?"

"That I was glad she stayed with me to keep an eye on me. Knowing Helena, she would feel embarrassed for me to know that she feels alone or afraid. I want her to trust me."

"She already trusts you. You are healing pretty well." The doctor lowered Barbara's shirt and moved the blanket covering her legs.

"Yes, but things have changed. She is not a kid anymore and, well, you know, being a teenager is difficult…and more so in Helena's case."

"How are your legs now?" Leslie asked, touching her thigh.

"I can move them."

"Hurts?"

"No, not much." Barbara looked at her and winced.

"You were really lucky," Leslie took her calf and bent her leg slowly. "You would be paralyzed if the bulled moved a few centimeters to the right."

"Yes, I know."

"You need to start walking more." The old doctor extended the redhead's leg and bent it again.

"All right..."

"When will Helena return to school?"

"I think next week. It will be good for her to get back to normal routine." The redhead sighed, "It will never be the same, but she needs to live again. She helps me a lot, but I want her to get back to her life."

"And you?" the old doctor asked pointedly. "What about you and your life? Do you know what you are going to do now?"

"I'll keep working as a librarian in the…"

"You know what I mean."

Barbara remembered when she attempted to enroll at the local FBI office as a field agent. They dismissed her, citing many of the same reasons. It was ironic, that ejection had launched her career as Batgirl, but, as the years went on, she found her role as Batgirl less and less fulfilling. She had been so close to death, especially after her encounter with Cormorant. It had made her stop and think, think about what she wanted.

She, like Helena, was depressed. She didn't want to accept it, but it was time to recognize she could not be the kind of superhero she had been. She could no longer be Batgirl.

"No, I don't think I can keep being Batgirl," Barbara finally said. "It's not easy, you know?"

"I suppose not." Leslie crossed her arms, looking at the younger woman. Barbara had dreamed about being a superhero her entire life.

"Sometimes I ask myself how I can help an angery teenager when my own mood is as bad as hers."

"You knew this wouldn't be easy."

"I know and, for that reason, I must forget my fears and think of her first. I have to try." Green eyes locked on Leslie. "For her."

"I'm glad for you and happy for her. I would just suggest that you keep pushing her. She needs you, she needs you a lot."

"I would just love it if she wasn't so closed off." Barbara sat up on her bed slowly.

"Look who's talking."

"Come on, Les."

"You are as hard headed as she is, my dear." The old doctor smiled as she helped Barbara stand up.

"Well, no one is perfect, right?"

* * *

Helena stared at the city below her. The city was full of life. She wasn't sure if she would be able to smile again someday. Smiling, feeling totally happy, feeling at peace with herself. The seed of revenge had begun to grow inside her soul. She would find him, she didn't know when or where, but she knew she would find him.

She had considered jumping. She had meta skills, but even she couldn't survive a fifty floor drop.

She extended her arms and took a deep breath of the cold air. She just needed to take a small step and it would all be over. Her pain, the feeling of her world being shattered and destroyed. Barbara would be fine without her. She had her own life, she had her dad.

Helena had nothing.

She closed her eyes. The face of her mom, smiling, came to her. She was always so loving with her, so tender.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

She missed her.

_"That play was pretty good."_

_"It was a silly play." Selina giggled as they walked down the street toward a restaurant._

_"You loved it, Mom!" Helena laughed. "Come on!"_

_"Yes, but that doesn't mean it wasn't silly!"_

_"What about the main actor?"_

_"He was a cute guy."_

_"I love him!"_

_"You fall in love with every handsome guy you see."_

_They were so distracted that they didn't notice the man behind a street lamp. He suddenly turned and stumbled against her mother. She turned in time to see her falling to the ground. She watched the man who kept walking. Something was wrong, her mom didn't stand up or move. That was when she noticed the blood. Staining her mother's favorite dress._

_She kneeled next to her and tried to stop the bleeding, tried to call her, but she never answered. _

_She never opened her eyes again._

It happened so fast.

She was crying.

She lifted a leg in the air.

Just one step, and she would be with her again.

"Don't do that," a voice behind her said.

"Why not?" Helena asked in an almost inaudible whisper, her gaze fixed on the lights far below her.

"Because I need you." The redhead approached slowly, assisted by a walker. Helena was on the edge of the balcony. She didn't want to make an abrupt movement and cause the girl to fall.

"You don't need me, Barbara," the brunette shook her head, "you have everything, health, work, family… a home."

"This is your home."

"No, this is your home."

"No, it's yours too, Helena. I wanted you living with me because I love you." Barbara glanced at the place where Helena was standing. She was on the edge. It would not be wise to push her too much.

"No!" Helena turned angrily to face her. "You feel sorry for me!"

"That is not true! Who told you that?"

The girl clenched her fist. "Barbara, you don't need me! You have everything, I have… nothing- I lost everything. My mom is gone…"

"But you are alive, she would hate to see you give up so easily." She took a step toward the girl. "I understand, Helena, I know how you feel."

"No! You don't know!" the teen shouted, moving her feet back.

"I lost my mother, too!"

Helena halted her movement and stared at the redhead. "But… you have your dad…"

"He is not my father."

The brunette narrowed her eyes. What was she saying?

"I lost my dad and my mom when I was thirteen." Green eyes were fixed firmly on blue ones. "My mom was killed in a car accident… by my father's drinking. His name was Roger. After the accident, he felt guilty and- began drinking heavily…" The redhead paused, feeling a knot at her throat when she remembered those hard and painful days. "He started taking his aggression out on me…"

Helena noticed Barbara's eyes were moist. She was not joking.

"I took on a great deal of responsibilities to cover for my dad, consoling myself by thinking my dad was not the same man I had once known. It was not easy, Hel, I was just a kid. But I tried. Eventually, the drinking and self-abuse caused his death. His brother, James Gordon and his wife adopted me. It's Jim. Jim is my uncle."

"Jim… is not your dad?" Helena mumbled, surprised.

"No, but to me he is," Barbara hugged herself, keeping her gaze on Helena. "l call him Dad because that's what he is for me, my dad. He took care of me, he guided me, and encouraged me to learn, to study, to not give up."

The young woman was speechless, with her eyes locked on the older woman.

Barbara stood up close to her. "I don't want to be your mother, I want you to live with me because I've known you since you were a kid. We were friends before all this, remember? Why did you look for me after what happened to your mom? Why did you stay and wait for me those long days in the hospital when I was recovering?"

Helena didn't know what to say. She lowered her head and closed her eyes, confused.

"I love you, Helena…"

The girl saw Barbara's fingers touching her hand.

"I don't want you to be alone locked up in some children's home with people you don't know. I want you to live with me."

The young girl took Barbara's hand and squeezed it. She felt the redhead pulling her down off the ledge and she gave in, falling into Barbara's embrace as she cried. It was so hard to explain the emptiness she felt inside her soul, her pain. Barbara wrapped her arms around her back and held her tight.

"I love you, Helena, I love you so much."

* * *

For the girl, her mother's loss had been a hard blow. Barbara had tried to soothe her pain, but it was an uphill battle. The teenager had lost her appetite, she looked sad and depressed. Sometimes it was frustrating that she couldn't help her more, Helena had unpredictable and violent mood swings, her pain had turned to anger and she was a loose cannon.

Barbara was walking on her own again and working as a librarian in the New Gotham library; Helena on the other hand, had returned to school. Barbara hoped it would help the girl organize her life again.

The sound of the door slamming, announced the brunette's arrival. The redhead looked up from the newspaper she was reading in the living room.

"I'm home!" she shouted.

"Here!" Barbara said, "Dinner is ready!"

The brunette appeared, wearing a black shirt with a skeleton on it and her black jeans. The earplugs of her walkman dangled from her ears. Barbara could hear the high tech music across the room, that volume would burst anyone's eardrums, except Helena's of course.

The brunette threw her school bag on the table and opened the fridge door. She took a carton of milk and sat at the dining table next to Barbara.

Barbara's newspaper's fluttered to the table and the redhead was frozen when she looked at the girl straight in her face. She had cut her hair short, revealing her ears. Her blue eyes were deep and sparkled, the color of her skin, the expression on her face…..

It hit her like rock.

She looked like him.

"What?" Helena asked, noticing the strange look on Barbara's face.

The redhead kept staring at her with that dumb expression. She had his eyes. With her short hair, Barbara now noticed the same facial expressions that were so familiar on Bruce.

"Barbara, what's wrong? Did you burn the water again?" Helena smirked before drinking a bit of milk.

"It's…" Barbara muttered trying to find the words. That smirk didn't leave any doubt, it was his smirk.

"What?" Helena checked herself.

"No… nothing…. I.." the redhead stood up and went toward the microwave, "The lasagna is ready, do you want some?"

"Sure." The brunette frowned, Barbara was acting weird "Are sure you are okay?"

"Yes. I'll be working late in my room. If you need anything, call me…." Now she understood why some of Helena's movements or attitudes were too familiar.

"Sure." The brunette shrugged, "But aren't you going to eat first?"

"Oh yes," Barbara stared at her plate "Yes…"

The brunette shook her head.

* * *

Leslie checked her messages at her desk. It had been a really busy week in the hospital. Why did people love to be sick all at the same time? And now she had to go to that boring counselor meeting. She sat at her desk and threw some notes in the trash.

The buzz of the intercom called her attention. She pressed a button.

"Yes?"

"Barbara Gordon wants to see you."

"Barbara? Her appointment is not on Friday?"

"Yes, but she says it's urgent."

"Okay."

That was weird, Barbara hated her appointments, maybe it was trouble with Helena. The door opened at the time she finished her thought.

"Hi," she greeted, standing up. "What's up?"

Barbara looked anxious. The doctor waved her hand and the redhead sat down.

"Leslie," she said, "I know that you and Selina were good friends."

"True, Bruce introduced us," the old doctor said, sitting in her chair.

"She trusted you and she told you everything about her and… about Helena." Barbara crossed her hands over the desk.

"Yes," Leslie played with a pen between her fingers "It was important to understand what was happening with her genetics. You know they weren't normal people."

"You have been her doctor since she came back to New Gotham, she was still a child."

"Yes… and a demon of child." She waved her hand.

"What did Selina tell you about her father?"

The doctor's gaze fixed on the redhead. What did she have in her mind now? "Do you know who her father is?"

"I was going to ask you the same, do you know who her father is?"

"No."

Barbara exhaled, she didn't know why, but she was sure Leslie was lying. "Leslie, it's important."

"I know, but I don't know. Why is it so important now?" The doctor cocked her head "She has been ignorant of his identity all her life."

"But now Selina is not here."

"But you are."

"Yes, and I need to know." The young woman looked at her "Is Bruce Helena's father, Leslie?"

The old doctor frowned. "What?"

"I saw her!" Barbara stood up and paced in the room.

"Barbara," Leslie rolled her eyes "you have been seeing her since she was nine!"

"Leslie, she cut her hair yesterday," Barbara put her hands over the desk "you must see her now, she has his eyes, some of his attitudes. She smirks like him! I knew I had seen it before, but it was not until yesterday that all the pieces fell into lace!"

"I think your imagination is playing tricks on you." The doctor moved back in her chair.

"Selina trusted you," the redhead said. "She must have told you!"

"No." Leslie remained impassive.

"It's important, Leslie."

"Barbara, it's not important. It doesn't matter. Leave the kid alone, she doesn't need this now."

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know who he is."

"I don't know who he is, and if I knew, I couldn't tell you," the doctor said calmly.

"Why not?"

"Because Selina had her reasons to keep his name a secret. And I'll respect that decision."

"She is his daughter."

Leslie just looked at her in silence.

"I'll prove it."

"Why is it so important?"

"Because she deserves to know." Barbara turned and left the office, annoyed.

Leslie kept playing with her pencil between her fingers and sighed. The woman was still so impetuous, rebellious, stubborn, just like Helena. She smirked, wondering how long it would be before the two of them would kill each other.

* * *

Helena sat at the dining room table, watching the redhead, who was absorbed in thousands of papers and computer notes over on the couch. She was taking care of her, trying to make her feel comfortable, safe. She had let her choose her own bedroom and helped her paint it.

Barbara was so funny and smart; she never felt bored with her. Helena had always liked her since she was a kid. Barbara seemed to be the only one –besides her mother- that would sit and talk to her.

Barbara was well known in the city. Every time they went out, many people greeted her. She was very popular with men. She often got invitations from men to go out, but she often rejected them to stay with Helena, which made the girl feel very loved.

Barbara had rescued her from the darkness. She loved her for it; she would never be able to repay her for this. Helena felt safe, home. She liked to watch the redhead, just sit there, looking at her, observing her, tracing the lines of her face, her nose, her jaw. She looked beautiful sitting on that couch. Well, she was a stunning woman-- tall, athletic, with an incredible memory and knowledge about everything.

Helena let her pencil fall to her notebook and crossed her arms. She was used to Barbara's working mood. She was always working, but the last few days, she seemed to be entirely focused on one project. Helena didn't ask what it was about, mainly because she never understood her techno babbling speeches. But, well, she could try again.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Library stuff," the redhead answered, distracted. She still was trying to find out about Helena's father. "It's fun"-

"I never thought working as a librarian would be fun…"

Barbara lifted her head. "Hey, being a librarian is not so bad."

"Could be worse." The brunette grinned.

Barbara lifted a piece of paper, "I just need to check some info."

"You have been stuck on this for days." Helena crossed her arms on the table, "Are you looking for a secret formula or something like that?"

"More or less," the redhead adjusted her eyeglasses on her nose. "How to cook without burning water."

The girl smiled, closing her notebook, "That hasn't been invented yet."

"Hey, if I can do it, we can sell it and be billionaires."

"Sure." Helena stood up. "Want to watch a movie?"

"No, I need to go out, but will be back at nine."

"Okay, don't worry."

"Order a pizza, I'll be starving when I get back." Barbara closed her laptop and picked up her things.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	12. New home, new trouble

"Miss Barbara?" Alfred asked, surprised to see the redhead standing at the front door of the manor.

"I'm sorry, Alfred, but I need to talk with you. It's urgent," she explained.

"Of course, come in." He waved his hand toward the living room, noticing she was very disturbed. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Please."

They walked toward the manor kitchen. Once there, she sat at the kitchen table as he poured a cup of coffee.

"Something wrong, Miss Barbara?"

"Alfred, I need to talk with Bruce. When he is he returning?" The redhead knew Bruce had left the city a few days after Selina's death.

The old man looked at her with a serious expression. "Madam, I'm sorry but I don't think I…"

"I know he doesn't like people to know where he is," she interrupted him, "but really, Alfred, it's important."

"I'm afraid I can't give you that information because I don't know where he is. He just left, he was very hurt."

"When he will come back?"

"I don't think he will return anytime soon. The last time he left like this was when he was young and disappeared for almost seven years."

He noticed the disappointment on her face.

"But he said anything you need, you can take it. He gave you full control of the Wayne Foundation."

"What? You must be joking," she said.

"I'm afraid not, Madam." He went toward a drawer and took out a yellow envelope. He extended it to her.

"He wanted you to handle the Wayne Foundation."

Barbara opened the envelope, surprised. She had talked with Bruce about this, but…

Alfred was not joking.

"He told me he left you good resources for the development of your projects in new technology systems."

"The tech…?" The young woman blinked, she had talked with him about that too...

He interrupted her thoughts. "He found your last research about new technologies quite interesting and thought it would be helpful against crime," he said, refilling her cup of coffee.

Stunned, she looked at the papers in her hands. "I can't believe this."

"You must. He left everything in order for you. He trusts your decision making."

Barbara leaned back in the chair, this was so unexpected.

He looked at her, it was strange the news hadn't made her happy or excited.

"Something wrong, Miss Barbara?"

"I didn't expect this…" she mumbled, shaking her head.

"This is the reason you came, right?"

The redhead sighed and took a few seconds before lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"No…" she said, brushing her hair back.

"So…" he raised his eyebrow, "why are you here, then?"

"Well," she tired to organize her thoughts "I don't know…"

"You don't know? You looked pretty sure a few minutes ago."

"Maybe you can help me. You know Selina and Bruce were a couple." She waved her right hand. "I know the speech about the gentlemen never talking, but I need know."

He remained silent, listening attentively.

"It's just that… I saw her and I was seeing him…"

"I'm sorry, I don't understand, Miss Barbara."

"Is Helena Bruce's daughter?"

This time he couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

"Don't lie to me please," she pleaded.

He cleaned his eyeglasses with a cloth.

"Miss Barbara," he said, "where did you get that idea?"

"She has his look! His facial expressions! The way she looks at me.. it's him!"

He lifted his eyebrow. "Miss Selina never told you about Miss Helena's father?"

"No."

"Why, all of a sudden, do you think Master Bruce is Miss Helena's father?"

"He is! She has his eyes, his expressions!"

"You must be confused. All of this has been so sudden."

"You are his confident, you must know."

"I'm sorry if I can't help you this time, Miss Barbara." He shook his head. "He never said a word about Selina and their relationship. Ms. Kyle was as discreet as he."

She covered her face, feeling frustrated. But she understood, if he knew, he couldn't tell her, he was very respectful.

"I'm sorry," Alfred said again.

"No, no, it's okay." She nodded, "I know you can't…"

"Miss Barbara, Selina was a woman with many secrets, you knew her."

"It's true. I asked Leslie, but she says she doesn't know. In Selina's papers, there is nothing about Helena's dad, not a single word, nothing… But when I see her… I see him."

"If Helena was the daughter of Master Bruce, Ms. Kyle would try to keep the secret hidden for the safety of Miss Helena," he pointed out.

"True… it would be dangerous for her. If she was his daughter…"

"And…" Alfred started.

She looked him.

"…If she is his daughter, he doesn't know," he finished.

She nodded, Alfred would not lie to her. She needed to wait, but wait for what? The best idea was to try look for another way to find Helena's dad.

"But…" he said interrupting her thoughts. Barbara looked at him. "Maybe you have also noticed the glint on her eyes…"

Barbara kept her attention on him, his expression was serious.

"I have always had my suspicious but… I saw Miss Helena after her mother's death… she had an angry, haunted look in her eyes, a look I'd seen before in just one person."

"Bruce…" she mumbled.

He nodded, "I thought I was the only one with that idea, but now that I know you share my same thought… I will share my concern with you."

"What concern?"

"I'm concerned because her anger is too great, she doesn't understand why this has happened, she is very frustrated. This could mean that darkness will consume Miss Helena, because she doesn't know how to handle it."

Barbara blinked, she had noticed her anger, but had not considered the possibility…

"Just keep in mind that when it's family, it comes from their genes. And Helena has strong ones."

"On both sides…" the redhead added.

Alfred nodded.

* * *

She still couldn't figure out how Barbara had convinced her to come here. Maybe it was because she was still half sleep when the redhead had promised her a warm, full breakfast and, by the time she woke up, the car was moving toward the Park.

Damn. Her stomach had betrayed her once more -- and the fact that she couldn't say no to Barbara. She didn't understand what strange effect Barbara had on her that she couldn't say "no."

It was ridiculous, being in the middle of a park full of flowers, birds and those corny things. It was not as fun as being buried under covers. What was the point in be in the middle of nowhere doing nothing? Her room was better, at least there was music.

She couldn't find the amusement in this, things were not be as fun as they used to be. It was not that she wasn't trying, it was just that she couldn't enjoy it. She gazed toward the redhead, who was sitting next to her under a tree, reading a book.

Barbara loved books. It was much better to give her a book than a diamond. She hated that the woman pushed her to do things that she hated. Well, it wasn't that she hated it, she was just not in mood to do anything. It was not Barbara's fault. She had been nice, she had taken her in and, thanks to her, she was not in a Children's home, her mother had been her deepest love. She missed cuddling with her, being with her. They used to talk for hours and exchange ideas; she was so funny and unexpected, always full of life.

It was hard to understand things like this. Her mom had always been nice and gentle with people. Always worried about others. It made her feel an incredible anger and frustration inside. If she just knew who that guy was, she would kill him.

Rip his head off.

Cut him in pieces.

Or maybe in slices.

Make him pay.

Either way, the important thing was to kill him.

"This is boring," the teenager grumbled, annoyed. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"It's a nice morning, enjoy," Barbara said, writing a note on her magazine.

"Grass itches and there are a lot of bugs. Why are we here?" she asked, scratching her leg. Damn mosquito.

"You needed fresh air. Go walk around."

"Too healthy for me. Can we go now?"

"What's your hurry?" Barbara asked, "You keep yourself locked in your room all day. It's not like you have somewhere to be."

"I don't care. I have air conditioning and music."

"You need to burn some energy."

"My energy feels tired now. It's hot here."

The redhead lowered her magazine and looked at the brunette. "You really need to burn energy. It's not good for you to charge your batteries all day and never get any exercise."

"Why?" Helena slapped her arm. She had killed two mosquitoes with just one blow.

"Because you explode easily and I end up at your school every day promising your teacher you will be good."

"I am good. It's just that people have a hard time seeing it."

Barbara glared at the teen. "Can you tell me what you were thinking when you started that fight at your school two days ago?"

"Hey, it was that girl. She made me stumble with my tray of food."

"I have told you thousands of times not to use your meta powers on civilians."

"She was an asshole, not a civilian."

Barbara narrowed her eyes. "I'm serious, Helena. You know you can't do that."

"I didn't touch her."

"No, you didn't, but the bottle of water that you threw at her hit her straight in the nose. You can't do that."

"Why not?" The brunette stood up angrily.

"You know why! You have an advantage over normal people! You can hurt them!"

"Be certain, she will think twice before doing that again to anyone."

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's not right."

"And who cares what is right or not?" The brunette waved her hands, annoyed "This is bullshit!"

"Watch your mouth."

"Being a decent person didn't save my mother's life. The killer is still free! Who has stopped him? Don't talk me about what's right or not." Helena turned her back on the redhead and walked across the grass. Why she couldn't understand what she was feeling? Why did she protect the life of murderers? "I'm going home. I'm tired of this."

The redhead covered her eyes. This was going to be more difficult than she had thought. But Helena needed all her patience, she was very hurt. She thought this would help, but no. She needed to think of another way to try to get close to the girl and help her ease the pain.

With a sigh, she lifted her head and watched her go.

* * *

The idea of handling the Wayne Foundation was nice. Business and crime fighting kept Bruce too busy to give his full attention on it. Barbara had enough sensibility to develop the Foundation and find help for needy children. Helena had been the trigger that had motivated her to accept, there were more children like Helena.

At the same time, Barbara began to work organizing a lab on the upper floor, where the clock was. It was an empty place, but very big.

The new computer system was the epitome technology and communication. There were more than six big screens surrounding the main platform. There were ten terminals located over the semicircular desktop. Barbara also had a kitchen, a study, and a small living room built. The place was huge.

"What do you think?" she asked Alfred, crossing her arms and looking around.

"Amazing," he said, his eyes scanning the entire place "What are you planning to do here?"

"It's my mini Batcave," she said smiling.

"Looks more like an aviary."

"Good point…"

"Maybe a bird of prey. You can watch the entire city from the balcony."

"I can keep an eye on the city here." Barbara sat in front of one of the computers and pressed some keys. The monitors turned on and streets of New Gotham appeared, as well as some familiar places.

"Impressive."

"I have access to almost all the servers around the world, satellites, police data…"

"I assume they can't see you." He stood behind her.

"You assume well."

"You told me you weren't sure about continuing as Batgirl."

"Yes, not now, maybe later? I don't want keep collecting bruises and cuts on my body. Hard to wear cocktail dresses, you know?"

"I can imagine."

"Has Mrs. Helena seen this?"

"No, she is locked in her own world. Her mood is volatile; some days she is the friendliest girl on the planet and others she is the Grinch. She is now in the second phase of grief. She is very angry. Sometimes she has nightmares. She is withdrawn socially, too. I push her, but you know her, she's hard headed." Barbara sighed. "Well, it's normal during grief, they will pass…. I hope."

"How is your research about Helena's father progressing?"

"Well," she pointed at a screen, "I'm already I'm running her DNA, I took some hairs from her pillow. I will compare it with Bruce's. I got his DNA from his computer files."

"I assume you didn't ask permission to do that."

"Again," she smirked, "you assume pretty well."

The elevator door opened, surprising them both. The young brunette stepped outside and looked around, amazed. "Wow, what is this?"

Alfred looked at her and was surprised. With her short hair, the girl looked just like him. Now he understood Barbara's concern. "You don't need a DNA match."

"Indeed," Barbara said.

"What is this?" Helena asked again

"It's my hobby," the redhead said, resting her hip on the desk close to her.

"Is this the stuff you've been working on?"

"Yes, and the thing you said you didn't have any interest in knowing about."

"It would be cool to play Doom on that screen," she pointed one of the big monitors.

"Don't even think about it." Barbara raised her index finger, "This is where I work."

"Your office?" the girl put her hands inside her pockets. "I thought you told me you were going to have one at the Wayne building."

"Yes, but sometimes I must work at home."

"I see… a laptop is not enough for you." She grinned. "Hey Alfred, glad to see you here. It's great."

"Thank you, Miss Helena."

"Are you going to cook?" she whispered to him. "She may good with techie things, but she sucks in the kitchen."

"Hey, I heard that." The redhead glared at them.

"Maybe we can celebrate the grand opening of this place with a meal in the new kitchen upstairs," Alfred suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Helena smiled, looking at the redhead.

"All right, all right." Barbara waved her hands.

*

* * *

Leslie signed some papers in her office. She hated paper work, but it was important. The day was just starting and she needed to finish before starting her first round of checking patients.

The door suddenly opened and Barbara Gordon walked inside. Leslie was startled and, before she could utter a word, the redhead put a piece of paper on the desk.

"Tell me now that Helena is not Bruce daughter," Barbara said angrily.

"What is this?" The old woman looked at the paper on the desk.

"Helena and Bruce's DNA. It's the same."

"Oh.." Leslie adjusted her lenses, reading the paper.

"You lied to me."

Leslie continued checking the paper. After a few seconds, she turned her attention to the redhead.

"Excellent job." Leslie removed her glasses. "Now, what?"

"What?" Barbara asked, surprised. "You said you didn't know who Helena's father is."

"Well, now you know who he is," the old woman said calmly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her hands. "Now, what?"

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Are you going to blame Selina? Will you tell Helena? Tell him? What do you expect? What changes, now that you know who he is?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You are not answering my question."

Green eyes blinked in surprised.

"Have you stopped to think why Selina kept that secret?" Leslie said, standing up and walking toward the redhead. "Why didn't she want him to know? Or you to know?" She lifted the paper "You know who Selina was, you know who Bruce is. Do you think Helena would be safe, able to live a normal childhood if people knew this? If someone discovered Bruce's secret, do you think that it would be safe for Helena? Selina was protecting her and she did a great job. Now, my question is,what are you going to do? Are you going to tell this to everyone?"

"Bruce deserved to know this," Barbara mumbled uncertainly.

"Why?" Leslie glared at her, removing her glasses "He was-- he is -- a playboy, pretending to be a hero at night, fighting for his revenge that doesn't let his soul rest in peace. For him, being a crime fighter is first, then the people that he loves. You know that. That's why he and Selina never could be a couple. Selina wanted a safe, peaceful life for her child. She quit everything for her! Do you think Bruce would do it? Do you think Bruce could give Helena a normal family? Do you think that Selina could sleep knowing that her husband was risking his life every night and that maybe, someday, he wouldn't come home? Do you know what it means live with anguish like that?" Leslie threw the paper to the floor. "I don't think you do, because you are playing his same game. So don't make these scenes in my office, if you haven't stopped to think beforehand."

Angry, the doctor returned to her chair.

"You knew," Barbara said to her.

"Yes, I knew it and…? Is there a problem?" Leslie said, putting her glasses on.

"Why did you deny it when I asked?"

"Because it was not my right to tell you a secret that had been entrusted to me."

"But it's important."

"Why?" Leslie looked at her. "Because of Bruce's money? She doesn't need it. For the father figure? I don't think it's an issue, Helena grew up healthy and happy. She didn't need him."

"She has a right to know." Barbara rested her hands on the desk.

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes, why? Do you think it would change anything that has happened?"

"No, but..."

"So, let the things be as Selina wanted. Who do you think you are to change it?" She pointed at the younger woman with her pen and almost shouted. "You have no right, do you hear me, no right, to try to change Selina's decisions that gave Helena a normal and happy childhood. Bruce is still Bruce, regardless of the fact that Selina is dead."

Barbara remained silent, staring at her.

"Is that all? If you don't have anything else, I'll get back to my work." Leslie took the papers she had on her desk and began to sign them. "Otherwise, I'm glad to see you walking normally again."

Barbara stormed out of the office, slamming the door. The old doctor lifted her head and shook it returning to her job.

"Hard headed as Bruce," she mumbled to herself. "Why are all super-heroes so complicated?"

* * *


	13. Batgirl

**Before read: well, i mixed here some of the fic called "We've just begun" that it's a fanfic about how could be Helena when she was a child. In that fic, I wrote about the first encounter of the child with Batgirl, she thought she was her "Guardian Angel".**

**Thanks for read, and thanks again to night for be such wonderful editor...**

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Monday.

Barbara arrived at her office at the Wayne Foundation. The employees greeted her as soon as she walked by the offices. The people were very nice and almost all of them were young people, except her secretary, Carol, and she had worked for Bruce for many years. Barbara had called her, knowing she was a very efficient person.

Carol stood up and followed her with a cup of coffee.

"Mr. Jonas from The University of Texas called," she said, reading her notebook. "Also, Ms. Coomaraswamy called, she wants to invite you to the UN. There will be a conference about "Children and Armed Conflict." She wants to know if you are interested in being involved in their mission."

"Sounds very interesting." Barbara took the notes from Carol.

"She left her phone number." The old woman read her notebook.

"Call her in fifteen minutes, just let me get organized." Barbara sat on her chair and picked up the newspaper.

"Sure. Your meeting with The Children's Foundation is at four."

"All right. I'll be there." She sipped a bit of coffee. "This is great."

"Thanks." The woman smiled and left the office.

Barbara had begun to work at the Wayne Foundation six months ago. She was surprised at the amount of work to do. At night, she spent time working at the Delphi. First, some friends had been asking her for information that had been helpful in trapping some criminals. She began discovering all the marvelous things the computer could do. Both jobs began to absorb her time. She was excited about developing all her skills to fulfill her passions: computers and helping people.

She checked her latest reports. There was a new burglar in town. She had been following the robberies since the first one. At the beginning, she thought it was a common burglar, but… whoever it was had hit the fifth jewelry store in three weeks and left no clues. She just had the image from a camera inside a store, it was blurry, but she could recognize easily. It was a woman dressed in black.

She crossed her legs over the desk and checked the recent print out with the list of stolen jewelry. It was not a large amount, just a few select pieces -- some with great value, some with not so much value. It was intriguing. Why hadn't the burglar stolen everything and why had she chosen some less expensive items over the pricier ones?

She had given the information to Nightwing, but the thief was very slippery.

She checked her watch, almost eight. She had promised to have dinner with Helena. She still had work to do, but it was the only time they could share in relative peace. Helena had been so lost in her own thoughts lately, she almost never talked and spent long hours shut in her room or sitting on the balcony looking at the horizon. She was still grieving for her mother and it was easy to understand. It had been only seven months ago. She put a hand on her leg and rubbed it slowly. She had been really lucky, she had checked all the documents and images of her back before the operation. The bullet had been an inch away from leaving her paralyzed.

She felt a shiver down her back. It really would have screwed up her life, and what about Helena? Hard to know. It had taken her almost three months to completely heal, with much therapy and exercise. She shook her head and walked to the elevator.

Barbara opened the newspaper, she checked crime section.

Damn.

The jewelry thief again had returned. The thief was having a fun time breaking inside elegant stores. Then… she blinked. She couldn't believe what she was reading. That crazy jewelry thief had gone back to the first store and returned the jewels.

What was going on?

All the works was clean. It didn't make sense. She had never seen anything like this. She dropped the newspaper on the desk and leaned back in her chair. It seemed she needed to go out and find her. The police and Nightwing had not been able to find the thief. She had an idea about the thief would strike next.

And she would be there.

She had been avoiding wearing her old costume, but it seemed she would need to resurrect Batgirl temporarily. She preferred the action behind the Delphi. She had control of everything just using her keyboard. She checked the newspaper once more. So… the thief had robbed six stores so far and returned items to two of them. If she was right, the thief would go back to one of the other stores sooner or later.

"Miss Gordon?" a voice said from the door.

The young woman turned to face her secretary. "Yes, Carol?"

"I was calling you, but you didn't respond." She pointed at the phone.

"Oh… sorry. I didn't hear you." She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the phone buzzing.

"It's a phone call from Helena's school," the secretary said.

"Helena's school?" The redhead had just left her there two hours ago.

"They say it's urgent. Line two."

"All right. I'll take it." Barbara extended her hand and picked up the phone. "Barbara Gordon."

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Barbara exited the principal's office with Helena. There was a deep, tense silence while they walked to Barbara's van.

Helena climbed inside the car.

As soon as Barbara was in, she put her seatbelt on and stared at the girl. She didn't want to be angry with her, but it was so hard. They had talked about this many times, when she was a child, and twice in the last month. This was the third time she'd been in trouble this month. She was becoming pretty violent and wasn't controlling herself.

She had been involved in a discussion where she had called one of her professor's an "asshole". The second incident had involved her throwing a glass of water on a girl and pushing another one into a trash can.

Now, she had broken a boy's nose during a short fight, where she easily had defeated the guy that was at least four inches taller than her.

"Well…" the redhead said.

"I told you, he started it, he insulted me."

"You didn't say why. The principal was angry and, Helena…." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "You are a lady."

"I'm a girl." The teenager rolled her eyes.

"With special abilities." Barbara looked at her. "You know you can't use them on civilians."

"He's not a civilian, he is an asshole."

"You always say that."

"Well, he is always an asshole. That's not my fault."

"We have talked about this so many times." Barbara shook her head. "Helena, this is the third time in a month that you've been in trouble."

"It's not my fault. I have told you that many times." Helena rested her head on the seat of the car.

"So what is it?"

"He loves to bother me, he is always taunting me. Why I can't defend myself?"

"You can, but do not use your meta skills."

"He loves to bother girls that he knows can't do anything against him." Helena crossed her arms and slumped down in the seat. "I taught him a lesson. I assure you he will never try to make fun of me again."

"Are you going to fix all your problems with your fists?" Barbara waved her hand. "Is that what your mom taught you?"

"You don't understand."

Barbara kept her gaze fixed on her, "What did he say?"

Helena shook her head and closed her eyes.

Barbara softened the tone of her voice. "I want to understand. It would be much easier if you would talk to me."

"Look…" Helena whispered, staring at the window. Her behavior was not fair to Barbara, she was trying to help her, but sometimes it was so hard deal with her own feelings. She didn't want hurt her. She really appreciated all the things she had done for her. "I didn't mean to cause you trouble… I promise this won't happen again."

"I really would love that, but… tell me, what did he say to you?"

The brunette sighed and lowered her head. She bit her lips. "Can we go now?"

"You don't want to talk."

Helena shook her head.

Barbara sighed and turned the key to start the van. "We must talk, Helena. Maybe not now, but we must do it soon."

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She opened the box an observed the fine piece of jewelry. It was a fantastic collection piece. She never had seen anything like this before, it was delicate, brilliant… Many women would go crazy to war it on their necks. Whoever had made the piece was a great designer.

Designer of jewels… Yeah, that was a great job. She'd never met one. It would be interesting to meet one and hear about his or her experiences designing diamonds.

She heard a noise behind her. She had been so distracted looking at the jewel, that she had forgotten her own safety.

Crap. The police.

She ran toward the air conditioner duct she had just opened.

"Freeze!" a voice behind her said.

She didn't turn. She tried to jump in the duct at the time the young policeman shot. The bullet hit the wall close to her and she ducked. It would probably be best to forget the air conditioner duct, she needed to find another exit.

"Hands up!" the policeman shouted.

Her eyes looked for an exit. Maybe she needed a door. She pushed the crystal display case in front of her and then ran, jumping at a closed door. The impact broke it and the policeman shot at her twice.

She rolled over the floor, it was the emergency exit. Surely, there were more police downstairs, so she chose to run upstairs. In a few seconds, she was on the rooftop. Well, now it was a piece of cake, she just could jump to the next building and be done with it.

A bullet slammed into the wall next to her leg. That had been so close.

"I said don't move," the young policeman shouted again.

Damn. He was fast. He was just a floor below. She quickly moved to hide next to the door. When he came out, she hit him and his gun fell to the ground. She kicked the gun far and hit him hard in his face.

She ran toward the edge of the building and jumped between the buildings.

Oh shit.

She had miscalculated the distance.

She stretched her hand, trying to reach the next building. She barely managed it, but her side hit roughly against the wall. The impact made her fingers slip from the cornice and she fell down.

She tried to catch herself on something, but was unsuccessful. She hit the dumpster hard. Luckily, it was full of trash and it helped to soften the impact. It was bad because the place smelled awful.

As soon as she tried to stand up, she winced. Dammit, she had hurt her shoulder. All her weight had fallen on it. She slowly stood up.

"Don't move!" a voice shouted five floors above her. She lifted her head. Crap. That damn policeman. Wouldn't he ever give up? Luckily, she had kicked the gun very far and it seemed he hadn't found it yet.

"Oh shut up," she growled, standing up. She knew he would call his partners. She jumped outside and ran down a dark alley.

The policeman took his radio. "The thief is running to Crawford alley," he shouted.

What? a voice said over the radio. "Reese? She was with you on the rooftop just one minute ago.

"You would never believe what I just saw." The black policeman said, "You would never believe it."

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"Helena, it's late!" Barbara shouted down the hallway. She picked up the car keys that were on the table.

"I'm coming!" the brunette said as she appeared. "Where is my backpack?"

"On the couch." Barbara stared at her. Her hair was wet. "Did you shower again? I heard you showering late last night."

"I like showering in the morning and last night I was hot," the brunette said, picking up her schoolbag.

"All right." Barbara patted her shoulder. "Let's go."

The brunette winced and moved back.

"What's wrong?" the redhead asked.

"Nothing…" Helena realized her mistake. Damn dumpster.

"Nothing?"

"I slept on my shoulder and hurts a bit," Helena explained.

Barbara lifted her eyebrow, she was a really bad liar. "Okay, now the truth."

"Hey, I just slept bad. That's all, okay?" the young woman grumbled, moving toward the door.

"All right, but you aren't convincing me," Barbara stated. She was afraid Helena had been involved in another school fight and was hurt. Besides she was wearing and sweater that was much too big, she didn't usually wear unfashionable clothes.

"Barbara," Helena said, exasperated, "I just slept in a bad position!"

"May I see your shoulder?"

The brunette glared at her. Why she couldn't let it go. "No."

"Why not?" Barbara walked toward her.

Crap. She was fucked.

Barbara stood up behind her and the neck of the sweater to the side. The brunette had a purple bruise on her back. That surely had been black the night before, but thanks to her healing powers it would fade in a few days.

"Slept in a bad position, eh?" the crime fighter said angrily. She turned toward the living room. "Let me check you."

"Bar…"

"Let me check you." Barbara's voice was hard and cold.

Helena knew it was best to shut up and do what she said. She dropped her backpack to the floor and sat on the couch. She didn't like Barbara being so close to her. It made her feel nervous.

"Take it off, please," the redhead ordered, crossing her arms.

The young girl obeyed and slowly removed her sweater, she couldn't avoid wincing. Barbara sat next to her and checked her back. The bruise was enormous. It ran from her shoulder, down her side, past her ribs, and ended at her waist.

"What the hell happened to you?" the older woman said, standing up.

"Nothing."

"So?" She went to a drawer to look for a salve, Helena's meta-skills were amazing, but it was good to help her a bit. "Were you fighting again?"

"I was practicing jumps."

"Jumps?" Barbara found the unguent and closed the drawer.

"I miscalculated a jump…" Helena mumbled, avoiding the woman's eyes.

"What were you jumping?" The redhead walked toward her, opening the small box between in hands.

The young girl sighed. She jumped lightly when she felt Barbara's fingers rubbing her back. Her fingers were warm, tender. She felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Hel?" Barbara insisted. "This is not the bruise of a simple fall."

"…dings." Helena mumbled, trying not to be so restless.

"Excuse me?"

The brunette took a deep breath. "Buildings."

"Buildings?" Barbara exclaimed, surprised.

"Easy…" Helena winced when Barbara applied more pressure to her back.

"Sorry… What were you doing jumping buildings?"

"It's just fun..."

"Fun? You almost broke your back… You said you miscalculated. What did you miscalculate?"

"I jumped between two buildings and I miscalculated it… I fell…" Whatever, she was screwed anyway. Barbara's fingers on her back felt so good, she would love it if the redhead would keep doing it forever.

"How high?" Barbara shook her head, rubbing the girl's back slowly as she applied the salve.

"Three floors…" the brunette felt her hormones raging. What was happening to her? It was not good.

Barbara stopped her movements. "What?"

"I fell in a dumpster… "

"When did it happen?" The redhead kept applying the salve.

"Last night…"

"Did you went out and didn't tell me?"

"You were busy." Crap. Helena felt like she was ready to jump on the woman and rub her head all over Barbara.

"You could have told me. All finished." Barbara said, moving her hand back.

Great, now she was all itchy. She had to get away from the redhead. Helena put her sweater back on and stood up. "How? You are never here!" She faced her guardian. "You are always are busy with the foundation or your new toy!"

"Helena, I try to be with you, but I have work to do, you know."

"Yes, I know." Helena shook her head.

"I don't want you to go out without asking me," Barbara scolded, "and I don't want you go out alone at night."

What? She was not a kid. "I can take care of myself." Helena glared at the redhead.

"Yes." Barbara crossed her arms, "I see that…"

"Can we go now? I'm late," the brunette mumbled, picking up her schoolbag. At least this conversation had helped her to cool down.

"Okay, but you are grounded." Barbara picked up her bag and walked toward the door. Why was Helena so closed off?

The teenager went through the door. She couldn't understand why Barbara's closeness made her so nervous. It was weird.

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Helena took the valuable jewelry in her hands, it was beautiful. The shine of the fine chain was incredible. She put it inside the box and closed it.

"Well, I finally found you," a voice behind her said.

The dark figure turned and faced the tall figure of the woman.

Barbara never thought she would wear the costume again, but this criminal was being a pain in the ass and she needed to stop her.

Helena blinked rapidly as her jaw dropped. In front of her stood her "guardian angel." She had tried to convince herself for years that the angel had just been a dream, but now there she was.

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_She had been under the care of Barbara when she was a child, her mom had gone on a long trip. It was the first time she had been away from her mother's house. Barbara was a busy woman and a night that she felt very alone, Barbara had left again, in a hurry. Helena had decided to go back to her home._

_She had picked up a few things and left Barbara's apartment that night, carrying a backpack, her baseball cap and Jaçques, her lovely stuffed cat. _

_Suddenly, someone had grabbed her hand and stopped her._

_"Hey! Where are you going?" _

_Helena opened her mouth without knowing what to say; she hugged Jaçques and stepped back.  
"You should be at home," a woman dressed in black said, pissed. "Are you crazy? You should be in bed! What are you doing in the street?"  
She had tried to run, but the woman had stopped her by grabbing her arm. "Wait, where are you going now?" _

_"Let me go!" Helena said, frightened and pulling her arm.  
"Wait, I don't want to hurt you... sorry, I was rude... I'm a friend."  
Helena stepped back. "I've never seen you before..."  
"Don't go, please." The woman kneeled in front of her.  
Helena observed her, her senses told her in some way that the strange woman would not hurt her. She was wearing a strange costume with a cowl and a cape; all in black and yellow.  
"I don't want to hurt you, it's just that it's not good that children walk alone at night," she said with soft voice.  
"Is... that a bat?" Helena asked shyly, pointing at the image at the woman's chest.  
"Yes... I'm, I'm Batgirl... I help people."  
"Why are you dressed like that?"  
"I'm a crime fighter, I fight against bad guys."  
"Are you good?"  
"Yes... I'm good. I'm sorry if I scared you, but I saw you walking alone. It's dangerous for you to walk alone so late. You need to go back to your home."  
"I'm going home..." the kid whispered.  
"That's not true." The redhead took her hands.  
"Yes, I live at Jefferson Street, 233 Jefferson Street." It was her home address.  
"Why are you so far from it? Is your mother there?"  
Helena lowered her head and shook it.  
"So...?" The red head looked at her.  
Helena looked in her eyes; she felt she was a nice person "I'm staying here." She pointed to the apartment building. "With Barbara, a friend of my mom. She works at the library, but she is always busy, she doesn't talk much with me; she never has time... She doesn't like me..."  
"That's not true." _

_"Yes it is, you don't know her; she is nice, but she's never home, and when she is, she is busy. I'm a nuisance for her, she has many things to do and I'm in her way... I want to go home."  
"I'm sure she didn't mean to hurt you. Do you feel all right?"  
"Yes."  
The woman took off one of her gloves and touched her cheek. "You have a fever."  
"I'm going home." Helena pushed her hand back and walked.  
"No, you need to come back." Batgirl stood up, putting on her glove.  
"I'm going home."  
"Hey, wait." Batgirl took her arm.  
"Let me go! I want to go home!"  
"It's dangerous, you home is here, for now."  
"No! I want to go to my home!" The brunette pulled her arm. She pushed her and made her step back. She kept walking.  
"Damn, you have a fever." The woman wrapped her arms around the child's waist feeling even more guilty now. "Please, You are sick! You need to go back."  
"You don't understand... I'm just in her way..." the kid sobbed and struggled.  
The woman had a hard time keeping her still, the kid kicked in the air. She held her legs and began to walk toward the building.  
"Jaçques!" she shouted, trying to reach her stuffed cat that had fallen on the ground. "I want Jaçques!"  
"I need to take you inside."  
"Jaçques! Please don't leave him there!" she cried, "Jaçques! Please!"  
The young woman turned and saw the cat on the floor. She put her down and she ran to pick up her little cat, crying.  
Batgirl kneeled next to her; she was touched and caressed her hair. "Let me take you inside." She asked her softly "You have fever."  
She didn't answer, she kept crying and holding her cat tightly. Batgirl hugged her, she buried her face in her neck. The woman wrapped her arms protectively around her, like a mother would her daughter. The two shared a moment. Batgirl kissed her forehead. She gently picked her up and took her inside the building._

She had called her, then, her "guardian angel" and she had seen her a few times more, but when she grew up she had always thought it had been a dream or her imagination.

And now, the same woman was in front of her. She was scared out of her wits. Was she really there and now angry because she was doing something wrong? She might consider not stealing again and put her black ski mask away…

Suddenly, the woman was over her and hit her hard on her face. The second punch to her gut took the air from of her lungs.

"What?" Batgirl asked. "Oh… Oh, I see. You are not as good at fighting as you are at stealing?"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	14. Opening my eyes

The brunette glared at her.

Batgirl jumped at her again. The young woman barely had time to stand up and block the punch. She was able to avoid the next blow, but not a kick that sent her flying backwards against a wall.

Crap. That had hurt. A lot.

"Let me guess, you didn't eat well today." Batgirl said, smirking "Maybe mommy didn't feed you?"

Angel or not, Helena didn't like her tone. She stood up and charged at her. The caped woman easily ducked and Helena flew past her.

"Oh… I think you are a bit slow. Do you want me to help you? Maybe you need a cane?"

Growling, Helena kicked the caped woman hard in her face, surprising her. Batgirl crashed against some glass furniture.

She sat on the floor, wiping a thread of blood on her mouth with her hand.

Well, Helena stood close to her and realized that her "guardian angel" was not an angel, but flesh and blood.

"Lucky shot." The caped woman grinned as she swept her feet, making the brunette fell backwards. "But I don't think a beginner like you will be lucky twice."

Helena threw a kick, but Batgirl rolled. This time the teenager didn't stop and threw her another blow that the redhead stopped.

Both began exchanging blows, one of Helena's fists was suddenly grabbed by the redhead's hand.

"Wanna lift?" she asked, flipping the teen and sending her flying over her shoulder.

A wooden cabinet broke under Helena's weight when she impacted it.

"And I think someone needs to teach you how to fall, you are pretty bad at it. Look, you are breaking everything."

The brunette was really angry. She couldn't see a thing, the damn mask had moved and blinded her. She hated masks anyway and she sweated a lot. What kind of meta-human was she? No one would make fun of her. Really angry, Helena stood up and punched at the dark figure, but the other woman stopped her fist and punched her straight in her face. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the attack. She was sure that she was stronger than the other woman, but the caped woman was skillful and had a great ability fighting.

A blow in the middle of her nose almost knocked her out. She stepped back, seeing stars around her. Knowing the next punch would probably land her unconscious, she grabbed the caped woman and pushed. She heard glass breaking.

Luckily, they just fell one floor down and a car roof helped to make the blow less damaging. She rolled to her side and kneeled a few meters from the redhead.

Helena turned and ran toward the corner. She had the perfect opportunity to escape. She didn't want to be trapped by that lunatic. Barbara would be really angry if she found about this.

"Dammit." Barbara growled, grabbing her knee, she watched the dark figure run. She tried to stand, but her knee gave out. She winced, grabbing it. It hurt like hell. After a few minutes she could stand up, slowly. The thief was gone.

The next time she wouldn't be so lucky.

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The dark haired woman checked her cheek. She loved her meta powers, the purple bruise on her jaw was gone. Damn. Her "guardian angel" hit like a mule and fought like a tiger. She would love to be able to fight like her. She wondered who that woman was, if not a ghost created by her imagination.

How was it possible? What was she, then?

How? How she had known where to find her? Was she real? Helena checked her cheek again.

Definitely, she was. Her body hurt everywhere. She put a shirt on and walked outside her room. Luckily, it was Saturday.

Barbara was preparing a sandwich in the kitchen.

She stopped in her tracks, the redhead was wearing her sports outfit. A shirt with no sleeves, sweatpants. She looked like she had just finished working out and… and she looked great, stunning. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone more beautiful.

"Hi, how did you sleep?" the redhead asked. "Want a sandwich?"

"Uh… well…" she mumbled.

"Hel?"

The girls shook her head.

She had discovered recently than she preferred women to men. Her eye found more pleasure looking at a girl than a boy. She had kissed some boys before, but the day she kissed a girl, well, it was fantastic, so much better than kissing a man. She didn't expected her guardian to catch her eye. She opened the fridge to take a bottle of milk. "If you made it, no thanks. You are a terrible cook."

"Ha, ha… very funny," Barbara said, turning with two sandwiches and noticing the girl's movements. "Is that a joke?"

"More or less…" Helena sat at the table. She sat carefully, feeling very sore. She eyed her mentor. Really, Barbara was breathtaking. Suddenly, she realized the older woman was limping. "What happened to you?" she asked.

"I fell down the stairs yesterday. I will never run up them again with high heels." The redhead gave her a plate with a sandwich. "What hurts you now? Another missed building?"

"No, gym class… I suck at it," the brunette lied.

"How do you expect to jump between high buildings if you don't learn the elementary things?" Barbara asked, sitting in the chair in front of her.

"It's not that gym is hard, but the routine is boring and I get distracted easily." The brunette used a knife to put mayonnaise on her bread. She found it was difficult take her eyes off the sight of Barbara's cleavage.

"Gym is not boring, it's great. Well, if you want, I can show you."

"You?" Helena smirked, biting her sandwich. "You fell down the stairs, how could you show me gymnastics?"

"Well," Barbara smiled, "I don't miscalculate a three floor building. I know about gymnastics and resistance."

"What do you know about gymnastics?" the brunette drank a sip of milk.

"When I was young I won a championship in gymnastics."

The teenager chuckled. "Come on… Barbara, I'm meta, you know I'm more agile than you and resistant."

"Wanna bet?"

Helena lowered her sandwich and looked at her, trying to keep her eyes on the redhead's face and not on her chest. "Are you kidding me?"

"No," Barbara licked her lips, removing a bit of mustard. "I'm challenging you."

"Okay." Helena moved back in her chair. Goddamit, What was wrong with her? She needed to think clearly. It was just Barbara, "What If I win?"

"Well, if you win, I'll clean the whole house including your room, for a whole week."

"That sounds good…"

"But… if you lose, you must do it, and it includes the bathrooms."

Helena looked at her narrowing her eyes. "What?"

"A competition, in the gym. I can defeat you easily."

Helena felt something was wrong. Was she joking? She was much faster and more agile than her guardian….but it was a temptating to watch her in that outfit. She surely would look amazing.

"Unless you are afraid to lose," Barbara said.

"Of course not!"

"Well, so, it's a deal." Barbara smiled, it was time to give the rebellious teenager a lesson.

"Okay." Helena stood up, she needed to get out of there. Her eyes seemed didn't want to follow her brain's instructions and insisted on looking at Barbara's breasts. Damn. She looked so sexy.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Barbara gave Helena some leather gloves.

"What is this?" the teenager asked. She was right, Barbara looked incredible in that tight t-shirt and her sweat pants.

"They'll prevent your hands from slipping when you sweat."

"Hey, Barbara, may I ask you something?" The teen sat on the bench and put on the gloves. She needed to distract her mind.

"Sure."

"Do you think Mom was a bad person?"

The question surprised the redhead and she looked down at the girl. "Of course not, why?"

"Well…" the brunette adjusted the gloves on her hands. "I was just thinking… Mom was a business woman, cold…. She liked good things--- art, jewelry, paintings, clothes."

"Do you think she was cold?" Barbara stared at her.

"No…" Helena said, lowering her head. "I miss her, she was always fun, warm, she always hugged or kissed me."

"So, where did that idea came from?" Barbara sat next to her on the bench.

"I dunno, I was just thinking… I read that… that people used to say she was Catwoman. Catwoman was a burglar, why people would say that? Catwoman was bad, no? She was a villain."

The redhead took a deep breath. "Your mom was an amazing woman, she loved life and respected it, she helped people, you know that. She participated in benefit events to support people. Catwoman was a thief, who liked to collect jewelry and art, but always respected human life. Maybe people said that because they were physically similar – same age, tall, thin, and both had the same taste in jewels."

"What if she was Catwoman?" Helena asked in a low voice "Would that make her a bad person?"

Barbara was confused by the question.

"I have heard a lot of those rumors about my mom being her," the girl added, "that I have thought about it."

"Helena," Barbara touched her back.

The brunette felt a shiver run through her body; the way she said her name, the sensation of her strong hand on her back, butterflies fluttered in her stomach with that single bit of contact.

"Your mom was the woman you knew, she was the incredible human being that loved you everyday."

The brunette stared at her, feeling her mouth go dry. Their faces were so close. She was so beautiful, the lines of her face so perfect. Her eyes full of life and bright. Her blue pupils fixed on the redhead's mouth-- it was red, inviting. She felt, for a moment, the impulse to lean in and kiss her.

Kiss her?

Dammit.

She stood up immediately and walked toward the other side of the training room. What the hell was she thinking?. "Well… and what are we going to do?" she asked.

"Bars," Barbara smiled at her. "We can do some easy jumps between bars with combinations of hand movements. The name of the game is resistance."

"Your knee is hurt, it's not a fair competition."

"I'm giving you an advantage."

Helena lifted her eyebrow. "You are pretty presumptuous."

"Don't think so… okay," Barbara straightened, "Let's start."

"What's the key?" Helena followed her.

Barbara smirked, "Well, you will see." She jumped smoothly toward the bars in the middle of the gym.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later, Helena panted on the floor while Barbara sat on the bench removing her gloves calmly. How could Barbara do all that exercise and not be winded? She could turn and move as fast as her.  
"You are meta," the young girl gasped looking her. Yes, Barbara definitely looked good and with the sweat covering her body, she was sexy as hell.

"Don't be silly." The redhead laughed.

"What was that? How could you be… and I?"

"I practice bodyweight exercises, in addition to strength, I also develop excellent balance, coordination, agility. Have you considered that is the reason why spectacular film athletes like Jackie Chan always include gymnastics training in their physical preparation?"

"You are making fun of me."

"Of course not, I practice bodyweight exercises. With bodyweight exercises you become amazingly strong. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, done correctly, far stronger is someone who has trained with bodyweight for the same amount of time as someone with free weights." The redhead walked toward the door "Now, you must clean the house for a whole week. I'll take a shower and later we can go shopping."

"Sure." Helena sat on the bench, removing her gloves as she watched Barbara go. Her body was amazing.

She stopped her movements and fixed her eyes on the floor, distractedly. She had been tempted to kiss her, she wanted kiss her, it was a fact. She liked her; she was the most beautiful, smart and wonderful woman in the world.

Her own thoughts surprised her.

She remembered that end of the year party where one of her girl friends had taken her to a corner and kissed her. She was pretty drunk, but the sensation of that soft caress ignited sparks in her senses, the soft way that her friend touched her was magic. Very different than the usual rough movements of guys.

She lifted her eyes toward the door where Barbara had gone. She wanted to touch her skin, caress her lips, wrap her arms around her. .

She liked Barbara.

A second...

She slapped her head. What was she thinking?

She needed a cold shower.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	15. Facing Batgirl

Helena had checked all around before walking into the jewelry store. This time the bat-whatever thing was not going to surprise her. It had been almost a week since that encounter with her. The girl walked inside the store and went toward one of the main crystal cases in the gallery. She opened it and took out of her pocket the small pendant inside a crystal box. She scratched her cheek, she hated masks. This would be the last time she wore one.

"I was starting to think you'd never come back."

The brunette turned. Dammit. Batgirl was standing there… She didn't want to fight, she just wanted to put the damn jewel back in its place and go home. Her eyes looked for the closest exit.

"Don't even think about it," Batgirl said "I suggest surrendering and everything will be over. Remove your mask."

Helena moved slowly to her left.

"Come on… I don't understand why you are doing this, but I can see this is just a game for you. You steal and then return the things you have already stolen. The charges against you won't bee too bad."

"Well, well, it seems I found two little bats here," a man's voice said from behind them.

Batgirl frowned. Oh shit.

Ogre and Ape.

Helena opened her eyes in surprise. She never had seen freak things like those men.

"You will help us to find the batman, honey," Ape said. "We saw you and we followed you."

"Now you need to catch me," Batgirl replied.

Michael Adams was a genetically altered man, whose brother was a genetically experimented upon ape. The Ogre increased in strength and the Ape in intelligence.

This didn't look good.

"Your friend is welcome too." Ape smirked.

"She is not my friend." Helena growled.

"Hey, be nice," Batgirl said. "What's wrong with me?"

"Whatever, get them, Ogre," Ape shouted.

The incredibly tall man charged towards them. Batgirl jumped over one of the display cases and used it to push herself up, leaping and hitting the big man in his chest. The Ogre fell backwards.

Annoyed, he lifted a piece of heavy, wooden furniture and threw it at the redhead.

Helena watched, stunned. That man was not a man. This was definitely not her fight. Helena took the opportunity to run and jump through a glass window.

Batgirl found herself alone between the two criminals.

Well, it seemed she had some hard work to do now.

Helena, frightened, jumped to the rooftop with an easy jump. She landed smoothly on the ground and prepared to run, but something stopped her. It was nice that Batgirl would have a good lesson, but on the other hand…

She moved closer to the edge of the building. She saw Batgirl hit the ground hard in the street. In a second, the Ogre was over her. The bat who ever didn't seem to care about the size of that gorilla and made him fly against the wall. She moved… she had seen those moves before… Where?

The Ogre was bigger than her, but she was giving him a really hard time.

The redhead gasped as the Ogre slammed her face into the floor. She reached out and grabbed the Ogre's foot, pulling and causing him to release her and smash off balance through the floor.

She started to rise to her feet when Ape hit her legs with a wood table.

She groaned and grabbed her knee.

Dammit. It was still healing. She rolled to avoid another blow and stood up as fast as she could. The Ogre was coming toward her, she stepped , limping. The Ogre was stronger than she was. She ducked to avoid a blow, but being injured and fighting against a bull like him was not the best situation. She hit the nose of the man, using both fists as a hammer.

Blue eyes blinked as she gasped. Batgirl was limping… like… and she moved like…

Barbara?

She was Barbara.

Helena felt her blood boiling in anger, no one was going to hurt Barbara, the only person who had cared and loved her after her mom had died.

A kick slammed into the redhead's abdomen and she crashed against a container, falling to the floor unmoving. The ogre broke a pipe from a wall and wielded it in his hands to use it as a bat against her. He raised his arms to hit her when something hit his back, making him release the pipe. Before Ogre could react, another hard blow sent him flying against a wall breaking it. She turned toward the other man standing up a few meters from her.

"Who the hell are you?" Ape growled.

Helena jumped and landed lightly in front of him. "Your worst nightmare." She growled and took him by his lapel, hurling him against another wall.

The Ogre was standing up. She picked up the pipe he had released and ran toward him. The ogre turned just in time to see the pipe a few inches from his face. The next blow was against his head and a third one crashed against his legs making him fall again.

She ran toward the unmoving Batgirl and kneeled next to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, touching her cheek. Barbara seemed to be unconscious. She clapped her lightly trying to make her wake up. She checked to see if she had any injuries, but she seemed be okay. Damn thug, he had hit her too hard.

She lifted her head and saw the lights of two police cars coming closer. She didn't have much time, she picked up the redhead and jumped to the building closest to her.

She landed softly on the rooftop, they were safe. She kneeled to lay the redhead on the ground. Suddenly, she found herself flying. The young girl hit her face hard against the concrete roof.

Dammit, that had hurt like hell. In a blink, Batgirl was over her, she had her arm twisted painfully behind her and a knee in her back.

"Don't move you, little rat," Batgirl growled, keeping a firm grip on her head to keep her down.

"Wait," the brunette gasped. She was more pissed because the ski mask had moved again and she couldn't see anything.

"Now, talk…" She twisted the thief's arm a bit more.

"Barbara, it's me, dammit!! That hurts!" the dark figure on the floor groaned.

The redhead was surprised, how did she know her name?

"It's me, Helena, let me go."

Barbara turned her on her back and glared at the girl. "Helena?"

The brunette removed the ski mask. Barbara, shocked, released her.

"What the…?" she asked "Helena!! What the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your ass." Helena grumbled, covering her bruised eye with her hand.

"Saving my…? Watch your mouth, young lady! " Batgirl scolded. "What are you doing here dressed like that?"

"Well, it's much better than being dressed like you…"

The sound of police sirens interrupted them. The redhead knew it was not safe to be there. She took Helena's arm and lifted her up. "Let's go, you and I will talk at home."

* * *

"Are you insane?" Barbara shouted at the teenager, pacing furiously around the kitchen as she removed her yellow gloves. She had thrown her cowl on the dining room table.

"I'm not the one wearing a ridiculous costume and pretending to be a hero," the brunette grumbled, holding an ice pack on her bruised eye. The truth was that she looked damn good in her costume.

"Don't be smart." The redhead put her gloves over the table.

"Who is dressed like a bat?"

Barbara pointed at her with her finger. "I'm warning you."

"I should be the angry one, you bruised my eye when I was rescuing you," Helena protested.

"How it was supposed you were that damn thief?" the redhead removed her cape and put it over a chair.

"And how was I supposed to know that you were dressed as Batgirl?" Helena waved her hand toward her. "Are you crazy? Are you seriously her?"

Barbara brushed her hair back with her hand, "Yes, I am."

"I never would have thought… Why didn't you ever tell me?" Now she found her even more interesting. Barbara was not an ordinary woman, was a kick ass woman. Wow.

"Because it's my secret identity, no one is supposed to know. Hence, the "secret" part!"

"Well, now it's not a secret, I know who you are." The teenager removed the ice pack and touched her bruised eye. It still hurt, she put the ice back on her face. "What the hell are you doing dressed as a clown?"

"Don't even start with me." The redhead glared at the teen.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Whatever, what are you doing dressed like a bat in the middle of the night, pretending to be a hero?"

"I'm not playing, I'm a crime fighter. I have been doing this for years."

"You?" Helena frowned "That Batman legend is you?"

Barbara sat down on a chair and looked at her. "No… he exists."

"Was he your boyfriend?"

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose. This was going to be a bit difficult.

"No," she said, moving her hands toward her waist. "I admired him, I trained to be like him." She paused. "But this is not about me. Can you possibly explain to me what you were doing stealing at night?"

Helena knew the question would come sooner or later.

"What crazy idea pushed you to do that?" Barbara asked. "It's a crime!"

"I don't think it matters to you," Helena sighed.

"Whatever is bothering you, I care about."

"Doesn't look like it." The teenager stood up, annoyed. "You are never home."

"What?"

"You are always gone!" Helena shouted. "You are always busy with the Foundation, playing with your Delphi or with your friends, you never have time for me, I am always alone."

"Helena…?" Barbara looked at her, stunned.

"Tell me when you were last home at night?"

"Well… I…" the young crime fighter babbled, yes, the last days she had been out many times, but… "All right, yes… yes, maybe you are right, but it is important…"

"Yeah, playing the superhero, dating people and taking care of everybody except me." The brunette removed the ice from her eye and glared at the older woman. How could she explain the jealousy she felt every time Barbara dated some one? She wanted the older woman just for herself. "Sometimes I ask myself why you asked me to come live with you. I'm just an inconvenience in your life!"

"That is not true!" Barbara stood up. "Now sit down and let me see your eye."

"Tell me then… why are you never here?"

"Because I was stupid! Because I have been insensitive and unfair. Now, sit down."

Blue eyes blinked in surprise. The redhead knew she had the girl's attention now. She pinched the bridge of her nose. That tick was so obvious in her, maybe she needed to work on it.

"Listen… I have been stupid and selfish," the crime fighter said, "I was just thinking of myself and not of you. Forgive me. It's just that I don't always know what to do… I always lived alone and…" she waved her hands "You are a great girl, Helena, I don't want you to go. I like that we share this house… I like your company. I don't want you go to a children's home, I hated the idea when my father told me. My first instinct was to bring you to live with me, because I love you so much. I would never let anyone try to hurt you, I didn't want to hurt you... Please forgive me."

The young girl stared at her, speechless.

"Now, please sit and let me check your eye." Barbara said, softening her voice. She removed her utility belt and put it on the table too.

The teen lowered her head and sat at the table with a small sniff. Barbara didn't tell her often that she loved her.

The redhead pulled a chair and sat in front of her. She checked the bruised eye. It had been a pretty rough blow.

"You hit me hard." Helena couldn't suppress a shiver, feeling warm fingers probing the bruised area.

"I'm sorry," Barbara apologized. "I didn't mean to do it…"

"How did you do it? I mean…" she liked Barbara touching her, she liked it when she gave her all her attention. It made her feel an incredible joy in her heart. "You handled that big guy so easily. Who were they?"

"You ask too many questions." The redhead stood up and opened a medical kit that was on top of the fridge.

"You fight amazing, you looked great. Where did you learn that?"

"Let's make a deal. I'll answer every one of your questions if you answer just one for me." She gave some pills to Helena and a glass of water. "Take these, they will help."

"Which one?"

"Why were you stealing those jewels? Your mom would hate this. It's against law, she would be devastated if she knew that you…"

"I don't think so," Helena interrupted her. "My mom was Catwoman."

Barbara tried to process the teenager's words. "What?"

"I know it. I know my mom was Catwoman. You know it too, don't lie to me. Why didn't you tell me?"

Barbara found it difficult to speak. "How?"

"I'll show you." The brunette stood up and left the kitchen.

Barbara covered her face with her hand.

Damn.

She never thought Helena would discover the secret. Now what was she going to do? Now she was going to have to explain many things and she was not sure Helena would understand all of it. This was a mess. All she was supposed to do was take care of the girl and she had bruised her eye, Helena had turned into a burglar, and she had discovered she was Batgirl.

What a rotten day.

"Here." Helena threw a mask on the table.

Catwoman's mask.

Helena crossed her arms and rested her side against the doorframe.

"Where did you get this?" Barbara asked.

"I was looking for some of mom's things. I remembered you took two boxes and put them inside your closet," Helena threw some old clippings about Catwoman robberies on the table, "and many other things."

Barbara sighed, feeling cornered.

"You knew it."

"Yes." She couldn't lie.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think was the right time."

"When were you planning to tell me?"

"I don't know." Barbara waved her left hand. "I was looking for the best moment, for you to grow up a bit more."

"My mom was a thief; I want to be a thief, too, like her."

"You are making a big mistake."

"Just because you say so?" Helena smirked.

"I admired superheroes since I was a kid and I decided how to become one," Barbara said, standing up to open the freezer. She took some ice cubes. "I spent high school and college doing gymnastics, judo." She filled the ice bag with fresh ice "I have a master's degree in Library and Information Systems, I'm good at finding information on computers and other systems."

"Well, you have always been a library mouse. I already knew that," the teenager replied. A damn sexy, library mouse.

Barbara tossed the ice bag at the teen and she poured a mug of warm coffee before walking outside the kitchen, "Come with me."

Helena took the ice bag and followed her. Barbara sat on the single couch and removed her yellow boots.

Helena stared at her. Why was each of her movements so damn sexy? That black outfit made her look like a kind of futuristic Xena. She closed her mouth to avoid drooling and let herself fall on the big couch, stretching out.

She was in trouble, she really liked the redhead.

"My first experience as a superhero started as an accident," Barbara said crossing her legs over the couch. "I decided to go to a masquerade ball dressed as a female version of Batman, my hero. But a villain, Killer Moth, interrupted the party. I stopped a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne."

"The millionaire playboy?" The girl put the ice bag on her eye.

"Yes. Batman was the best crime fighter of all, thieves were afraid of him. He is a legend. He was not pleased with me donning the cape and cowl and tried to convince me to stop, but I was too headstrong."

Helena chuckled "Come on, Barbara. You?"

"I'm serious." She took the warm cup of coffee that was on the table. "Batman decided that it was better to train me than watch me get killed. But… over the years, for me everyday was hard fight as Batgirl. A few years ago, I was shot and nearly killed by the Commorant, one of Batman's enemies. It made me think, I had a serious crisis of faith and I briefly retired as Batgirl. Batman talked to me and I returned to face down and capture the villain."

"That was when you were in the hospital?"

Barbara nodded.

"My mom said it had been a car accident."

"Your mom knew what had happened. We couldn't tell you the truth. But after the Joker shot me… I said it was enough, no more Batgirl."

"If you are no longer Batgirl, why you weren't here at night, then?" Helena asked, not understanding. "Why do you spend so many hours in the Clock? Why are you dressed as Batgirl now?"

"Easy---" Barbara raised her hand, indicating her to stop, "I quit as Batgirl, but I felt I could still do something for people. I discovered I could keep helping people with the Delphi. The system lets me investigate everything everywhere."

Helena tried to find some sense on this. "Are you a hacker?"

"A cyber vigilante, I would say."

"It's a nice way to say you are a hacker." Wow, what a woman. Barbara was beautiful, sexy, fun, smart, and she was a cybergenius.

"I help many other heroes searching for information to trap and capture villains like the ones you saw tonight."

The young girl narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling me there are more nuts like those two?"

Barbara nodded. "In many shapes and sizes. That's our work, the crime fighters, to stop criminals so people like you can live in a safe place."

It was not so hard to believe, she had known many meta humans with weird and unexpected abilities in her life. Helena circled her finger in front of her. "And you are dressed as Batgirl because….?"

"Because for the last two months, I've been chasing after a crazy new burglar that has been stealing fine jewelry and, later, returning it." Barbara glared at the brunette.

"I just wanted to be like Mom," Helena said quietly.

Barbara understood, Helena admired her mother so much. "As I told you, you are making a big mistake. Let me explain why." Barbara sipped a bit of her coffee. "Do you know how I met your mom?"

"Hard to understand now." Helena said sarcastically, scratching her head as she leaned back again on the couch, "she was a criminal and you were a hero…."

Barbara laughed lightly. "Yes, everything was so unexpected. I caught her stealing my dad's notebook and started to pursue her. We fought between buildings. She gave me some good kicks and scratched my bat suit. I hated her that night, she called me "freckles" and "pet" all night, she insisted I was Batman's pet."

Helena giggled hard. "Freckles?"

"I don't have freckles, I don't know where she got that stupid nickname." The redhead sipped another bit of her coffee.

"You are Freckles," the brunette said.

"Don't go there!" Barbara warned.

Helena laughed, she looked so beautiful when she smiled.

"Your mom was an incredibly agile fighter," Barbara said amused, remembering that day. "A pain in the ass as a criminal and an expert using the whip. Your mom was a strong, independent woman, she was not really a bad person, she just got herself through life by stealing what she needed to steal to make a go of things; and she liked to help others. She had a big heart."

"I know."

"Okay, so… your mom wanted to harass me and, running away, she went into a nude club to hide from me."

"Nude club?" the teenager asked, surprised. Her mind worked fast, Barbara's body looked incredible wearing that tight black costume. What would it be like to see her nude?

"Yeah, I tried to convince the manger to let me in, while Catwoman teased me from just the other side of the doors. I couldn't convince the manager and I had to… disrobe."

The laugh of the young girl was loud and hard. "You are joking."

"I promise I'm not." Barbara lifted her hand, "it was the most embarrassing moment in my whole life. I could keep my cowl because it was a masquerade party. I finally found your mother talking with some henchmen."

Helena's imagination was running rampant, imagining her nude-- her skin, as white as porcelain, her breasts, firm and hard. She surely would be as perfect as a Michel Angelo sculpture.

"I managed to recover my dad's notebook and escape-- dressed, of course." Barbara said "Your mom chased me and we fought again on a rooftop. She explained to me, then, that she needed the book to save someone's life. In that moment, your mom was shot in the shoulder by a mysterious sniper, causing her to fall from the building. I could prevent her from hitting the ground and made the decision to help her."

"And you did it." Helena moved in her place, she needed to stop thinking these things about Barbara.

"Yes, we rescued her, but we were in the middle of a giant battle. Batman arrived in time to help us. He was really angry with us and scolded us really hard. Your mother and I had some other encounters; me chasing her, her running away… but…" Barbara said, looking Helena "I remember, too, that she helped Batman and me to save many lives on many occasions. She respected life. She was a thief, not a murderer."

"And you were friends since then?"

"Of course not, but we respected each other." The redhead smiled at the teenager. "Over the years, I discovered who was she, and she knew who I was. I never could get proof of any of her robberies. She was smart. She had an intense social life and one day she just disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes," Barbara said, tapping her fingers on the arm of the couch "I didn't hear anything about her until nine years later when she came back to New Gotham. I found her in a grocery store. She told me she had quit her life of crime. Of course I didn't believe a word, but she invited me to dinner to prove to me she was telling the truth." The redhead looked at Helena. "That was when I met you for the first time."

"I don't remember…" Helena said.

"You were just a small child… She told me she had quit everything… just for you. She didn't want the life she'd had, for you." Barbara leaned forward crossing her hands over her knees. "..She wanted you had a good education and a normal life. We became friends then, I discovered the wonderful human being that Selina Kyle was… Now, do you understand why I say you are committing a mistake? She changed her life just… for you."

Helena removed the ice bag of her eye and her let gaze get lost in the ceiling. A deep silence filled the place. An question that had crossed her mind many times came to her again.

"Who is my dad Barbara?" the brunette asked with a whisper.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	16. I love you

"Who is my dad Barbara?" the brunette asked with a whisper.

The crime fighter didn't answer immediately; she took her time thinking about what to say. "She didn't want you…"

"You know who he is, right?" Helena insisted.

"I prefer to keeps his name as she wanted."

"If you don't tell me his name, I'll know anyway," Helena didn't bat an eye when her blue eyes found Barbara's. "I'd like to know his name. I'd like you to be honest with me and tell me about him. I need to know, it's my life, Barbara…. please."

The kid trusted her. It was hard not to betray that trust. The redhead nodded.

"Your mom never told me who your dad was," she clarified. "She wanted to protect you from all her enemies and his enemies."

"Does he have enemies too?" the teen asked "What kind of dysfunctional family do I have?"

Barbara stood and crossed her arms, pacing in front of the couch. "The day you cut your hair short, I recognized him in you. But I couldn't find anyone who could confirm my suspicions. After I installed the Delphi, I did some a research and I ran some tests on your hair and his hair. The results fit perfectly well, you and he have the same DNA."

"Did I know him?" Helena sat, moving her feet to the floor.

"A few times. His name is Bruce Wayne."

"The millionaire playboy?" The teenager was surprised "Come on!"

Barbara shook her head. "He is… and there is more." She scratched her head. "Your mother knew your father fighting in the streets; they were enemies at first. She was the criminal and he was the good guy… Batman."

"What?" Well, this was worst than a TV drama. "Are you nuts?"

"No." Barbara moved her head "They fell in love and you were born. Selina knew your life would be in danger if Batman's enemies or her enemies discovered you were their daughter; they could use you against him. Selina moved to Paris, he never knew she was pregnant. In fact, he still doesn't know he has a daughter."

The kid was speechless. Barbara sat next to her and rubbed her back. "Leslie will tell you, she is the only person in whom your mom trusted and confessed the truth."

"Leslie?"

"Your mom asked her not to tell anyone her secret." The young crime fighter bit her lips "I had my doubts before asking her. When Alfred saw you… He and I thought you are so much like him."

"Alfred? What does Alfred have to do with all this?" Helena asked.

"He is Bruce's Wayne butler, he knows his secret identity, my secret identity and he knows about your mom."

Helena closed her eyes. Maybe she could sell her life story to a network.

"Alfred knows everything about us," Barbara explained, "he has always helped us. He's the most loyal friend we could ever ask for."

"It's cool, eh?" Helena said ironically. "So… I'm the daughter of a famous criminal and a famous crime fighter?"

"No…" the redhead said, gently, "you are the daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, a wonderful and incredible woman and a man who has risked his life to save countless people. You are the daughter of two incredible human beings."

The young girl lowered her head "It's confusing, you know?"

"I understand." Barbara moved her arm around the teenager's back.

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know, he just left… I looked for him, but I couldn't find him. "

"He left?" Blue eyes turned to look at Barbara. "Why?"

The redhead took a few seconds before answering. "I guess he couldn't handle your mom's death and he chose to leave. Alfred told me he spent days locked up in his room, depressed."

"He is Batman… he could find and kill my mother's murderer."

"He trapped the Joker and sent him to jail."

"Why he didn't kill him?" Helena growled.

"Because it's against the law."

"That criminal already broke the law when he sent someone to kill my mother, Barbara."

"Yes, Helena, I know, but that is not how it works."

"How does it work, then?" Helena stood up, glaring at her. "He deserves justice? Where was justice when he killed my mom? Batman must kill him!"

"He can't do that." The redhead shook her head.

"Why not?" the teenager shouted. "That man killed my mother! He stole my life! Why does he have any right to be alive? Why does he get to live when my mother doesn't?"

"Helena, please." Barbara stood up, trying to calm the teen.

"Where was Batman when my mother was stabbed?"

"We never imagined this would happen, Helena."

"He is a coward! He ran away! He didn't make him pay!"

"He is not a coward! He did the right thing."

"What's the right for him?" Helena took a step toward the redhead "What's the right thing for you, Barbara? Protecting criminals that kill innocent people? Is that what you do?"

"No." Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Helena, don't…"

"You two only dress as clowns to go out and play a game!" Helena yelled.

"This is not a game!" the redhead shouted her. "We risk our lives every night."

"What kind of fucking hero are you? You are a coward like him!" the teenager yelled.

"Never call me coward again!" Barbara pointed at her with her finger. "You don't know what this life is!"

"You are right," Helena growled. She felt betrayed by her, and it hurt like hell. "I don't know what that life is and I don't want to know! My sense of justice is different, I will never rest until I've handed out justice for my mom."

"Killing that man?"

"An eye for an eye." Blue eyes flashed angrily.

"We don't do that."

"Speak for yourself. Good night, Barbara." The brunette turned and walked toward her room.

Barbara watched her go, shaking her head. For a moment, she thought of following, but she arrested her movement. She needed time to think and calm down, it had been too much for just one night.

Her being Batgirl.

Her mom…

Her father…

Batman.

She rubbed her face with her hands.

Too much.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helena was really annoyed and mad. She had been jumping between rooftops until she finally ended up in a bar. She was a minor, but it was easy to give a few dollars to the bouncer. After a few hours, she was sick of the smoke and the loud music. Why had Batman, who supposedly 'loved' her mom, not killed her mother's assassin and, instead, sent him to jail?

He would be free in a few years, he was alive, breathing, and… and she had lost everything, her life, her family, her world.

She finished another shot and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. She was living a damn nightmare. Her mom had been the most famous female burglar in the city and her dad the most feared crime fighter, the legend was not a legend, it was real… and she was his daughter.

And Barbara, she was in love with her, it was crazy, but she was in love with her. Barbara had lied to her, now she had discovered that she was her guardian angel that she had always thought was a dream. She was real, but she wasn't a real guardian angel, she was a crime fighter too, her mother's best friend, and an incredible and beautiful woman. She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her hand.

Well, maybe, in some way, Batgirl was a guardian angel for the people that she had saved from criminals.

She never thought Barbara could be so active… She always thought she was a library mouse, a person who would never hurt a fly and, now… she had seen her fight and she could really kick ass. She had to admit, Barbara was an amazing fighter. She had impressed her, she admired her, she had fallen for her. Maybe it was just a teenager's crush, but it felt, in her heart, like real love. She had wished many times to touch her face, trace her lips with her fingers. Kiss her.

Great, she was in love with her mom's best friend and her guardian. Barbara would never see her as a woman. To her she just was a dumb teenager. She shook her head.

She wanted her badly, so badly.

Yeah, she was right. She could definitely sell the copyright to the last few months of her life to a network.

She felt drunk enough now. She wasn't supposed to be able to drunk, but… well, she was, maybe she had mixed too many drinks.

She stepped onto the cold streets of New Gotham, with no idea about where she wanted to be, she could just feel that anger burning inside her, that desperate need to let it go against anything.

As she walked, she noticed a group of men annoying a couple on the street. Maybe they could help her burn off a bit of her anger.

It was not difficult to start a fight. She had the agility and the strength to knock out a man taller and heavier than her. They were surprised by the power of the blows landed by the small figure.

The brunette felt adrenaline pumping through her veins, she was excited. Every blow felt marvelous. She knocked back two of the thugs, but, unfortunately, she was not as skilled as them at street fights… and she was drunk.

Helena received a blow straight to her jaw. She saw stars and stumbled, crashing against a trash container. He had caught her by surprise with a heavy stick. She felt the darkness enveloping her and could barely hear the street sounds around her.

"Well," he said, walking toward her with a stick in hand, "seems the little bitch needs a lesson."

The thug lifted the stick on his hand to hit the brunette, when a batarang hit him on his head.

Batgirl landed between Helena and the thug and crouched, staring at the startled man.

"Hi." She grinned. "Wanna play?"

"Bitch." The man swiped at her with the stick, but she blocked it with her arm and hit him in his face with her fist.

Batgirl turned to look to Helena, who stood up on trembling legs, using the crash container as support.

"Are you looking for trouble?" she asked.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" the young woman growled, rubbing the side of her face, it hurt. She felt humiliated.

"What a vocabulary! Where did you learn that?"

The brunette lifted her head and noticed a thug charging toward the redhead.

"Look out!" Helena shouted.

The redhead ducked and Helena punched a guy hard in his face. "You were not invited."

"I rarely am. " Batgirl answered. "That was a nice punch."

"That is a bad habit, you know?"

Batgirl kicked another thug in his gut and, taking a piece of stick from the ground, hit his knees, knocking him down. She took the thugs by the necks of their shirts and dragged them close to a stairway.

"Who called you? Why are you following me?" Helena said, glaring at her.

"I was not following you, I was looking for you." The crime fighter took out a rope from her utility belt and tied up the men.

"Nobody asked you to do it!"

"I don't need anyone to tell me what to do." She turned and faced the brunette. "I usually protect innocent people, or stupid people, that don't know what danger is."

Helena's eyes changed to feral. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Batgirl pushed the girl against the wall, angry "What the hell are you thinking? These guys could kill you!"

Helena felt her face a few inches from her, her eyes were so green and her mouth a real temptation. She smirked.

"Are you following me because you are worried about me or because you like me?"

"What?" Barbara asked in confusion.

"Do you want to kiss me?" the brunette moved forward, searching for her lips.

Batgirl pushed her back angrily and wrinkled her nose. "Are you drunk?"

"That is not your fucking problem."

"Watch your language. You have been drinking! Are you crazy?" Batgirl shouted at her. "Do you think fighting is easy?"

"It's just about hitting, kicking and punching."

"No, it's much more."

"Yeah," Helena narrowed her eyes, "maybe it should involve killing."

"We don't kill."

"Fuck that!" Helena walked to the corner of the street.

Barbara reached out and grabbed her arm. "Do you think that just because you are meta that you are invincible? That kind of thinking will get you killed quickly." The crimefighter reached down and opened one of the thug's coat. She took out a pistol and showed it to the brunette. "Meta or not, you are dead when a bullet hits your head."

"Maybe that would be best for everyone."

"Dammit! What is wrong with you? Do you think all this is easy for me? It was not easy for your mother, and I know it's not easy for you!! But this doesn't change anything! This does not change who you are!"

"I don't know who am I!! Don't you understand?" Helena shouted. "I don't know who I am anymore! I thought I was just Selina's Kyle daughter, but I was living a lie!"

The redhead pinched the bridge of her nose. "What lie? Your mother's love was a lie? Is that what you think?"

"You know what I'm talking about! You lied to me!"

"I didn't lie to you! I didn't know anything about your father!"

"I'm talking about you!!"

"I never lied to you!" Batgirl said grabbing her arms.

"You did! What is this shit about Batgirl? Why didn't you tell me…?" Helena stopped her words, her head was a few inches from Barbara.

Her scent was intoxicating; her eyes were so green and intense; she was lost in the vision of the other woman, her gaze lowered toward her red lips. She had always wanted to kiss her, to know how it would taste, to feel her warm mouth against her own.

She bit her lips angrily. The redhead was bi, but didn't see her as more than her "little sister." Why? She was much more beautiful than that Karen that she had seen her kissing, and she knew Barbara so well.

She knew Barbara's favorite flowers were tulips and that she loved chocolate cake with strawberries for dessert. She knew she liked to wear those old cotton shorts on Sunday mornings and to be lazy reading a book in her room.

She knew that Barbara liked tea at midday- hot, really hot- with cookies. The cookies she loved had chocolate chips.

Barbara loved to watch television on the couch with her bare feet and, if she scratched her head, she usually fell asleep within ten minutes.

When it was cold, Barbara put an old pink bedspread over her bed. It was warm and she said she'd had it since she was fourteen.

Karen would never know that.

She didn't know Barbara like Helena did.

"I love you…" Helena mumbled sadly "…and you lied to me…"

"Helena…"

Suddenly, the brunette took the redhead's face in her hands and kissed her.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	17. Anger

"I love you…" Helena mumbled sadly "…and you lied to me…"

"Helena…"

Suddenly, the brunette took the redhead's face in her hands and kissed her.

Startled, the redhead stared at her. She was speechless. The brunette moved back and shook her head. It took to the crimefighter a few seconds to react. Had Helena just…?

"Can… we go home and talk there? This isn't…" Barbara mumbled.

"No!" Helena pushed her back again. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"Helena, you are just a kid, you are confused. I think it's best if we go home."

"I'm not a kid!" The brunette tried to punch Batgirl's face, but the redhead ducked.

"Hey, calm down!" she said "You are drunk!"

The young woman tried to hit her again, unsuccessfully.

"I said, calm down!" Batgirl ordered, grabbing her wrist.

I hate you!" Helena growled and charged, grabbing the redhead by her waist and knocking her to the ground.

Both rolled on the ground. This time Helena connected her fist with the redhead's face. The crime fighter managed to get a hold of the teen by her wrist before she could connect another punch and pushed her back. She rolled and stood up easily.

"Helena, please… calm down."

Angry, the brunette jumped at her. The red head avoided her, the dark haired girl threw a punch to her face. Barbara ducked and blocked another punch with her left arm. She stepped back and blocked another fist. Helena was blind with anger and she didn't want to hurt her.

Helena's inability to land a blow was making her more and more frustrated.

"Helena, please…" the redhead said gently, grabbing both of her wrists. "Please calm down."

The young girl tried to free herself, but Batgirl kept a hard grip on her. She tried to pull free, but the older woman was too strong. Helena felt so betrayed, so helpless, so alone; everybody had lied to her, her world had been a lie. Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore.

"I could be drunk, but I know I love you, I have loved you for a long time and you lied to me…" Helena cried out and fell on her knees.

The redhead felt her heart break. She didn't know Helena felt that for her. She released the girl's wrists. "Helena… You are confused. You can't love me… it's .. it's just… a confusing feeling because I have been caring for you." She tried to touch the teen, but the brunette pushed herself back.

"Don't tell me what I feel! Don't tell me what I feel for you is my imagination! You don't know me! You lied to me!"

Batgirl shook her head, "I'm sorry if I hurt you. That was not my intention."

Helena didn't answer, she just kept sobbing. Batgirl removed her cowl and kneeled in front of her.

"Please, Helena, let's go home."

"That is not my home…"

"You know it is. Please, let's go home…"

Helena wiped her nose and stood up, stumbling, Barbara tried to help, but Helena lifted her hand, rejecting the help, now she felt worst, betrayed and humiliated. The redhead sighed sadly. The young woman began to walk slowly down the street. Barbara looked at her helplessly. She didn't know what she could do, she put her cowl back on and followed her.

The walk home had been in total silence. As soon as she had arrived, Helena had locked herself in her room. Barbara removed her cowl and sat on the living room couch, covering her face with her hand. She felt Leslie's arm wrap around her gently as she started crying. She knew about the girl's disappearance and had gone to Clocktower to see if she could offer any assistance.

"Oh, Leslie…" she said.

"What happened, Barbara?"

"I didn't know. It's terrible."

"You are worrying me."

The redhead lifted her head. "Helena thinks she loves me."

"What?" the doctor blinked.

Barbara brushed her hair back. "She kissed me, she said she loved me."

Leslie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Helena?"

The young crime fighter nodded, "She is gay. She told me almost a year ago and I told her it was okay, and yes, it's okay for me." Barbara looked at her old friend. "She is a great girl and I don't care about her sexual preferences. I respect that, you know it. But I never expected her to fall in love with me."

"I'm sure it's just a crush."

"I know it's a crush, but… she feels more hurt and betrayed because I never told her about her mother's secret life and who her father was." Barbara wiped her nose with a tissue that Leslie handed her.

"You didn't know who her father was."

"I know, but she doesn't understand it now. She is angry, hurt… she says she doesn't know who she is now and… and says she's in love with me."

"Come on." Leslie patted her back. "It happens to all of us, a crush. Soon this will be just be a memory."

"I didn't want to hurt her."

"I know that and, soon, she will understand."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The brunette stared at the city below her as she sat on the cornice of the tall building. She had been there for hours, trying to find an answer. She didn't know why she liked that place, but it was a corner where she could hide and feel calm.

A calm that had gone a long time ago. Now, she was annoyed, angry, furious. She had confessed her feelings to Barbara and the older woman just said that she was confused. She had opened her heart and her feelings had been dismissed.

She remembered when she discovered that Barbara was bi. It had surprised her so much and, for some reason, knowing it had made her expectations grow about the possibility that Barbara would see her, some day, as a woman. But Barbara didn't love her, she just saw her just as a kid.

How could she convince her that she was not just a damn kid or that it was not just her hormones? She felt angry with her, for being so blind…

Being angry with Barbara hurt, she was the person closest to her, but knowing that she would never love her hurt much more.

Who was she supposed to be? Who did her mother want her to be? Who did she want to be?

Who was she?

She didn't know who she was anymore. It was so confusing. She was not sure about what she was feeling. There were many feelings, many unexpected feelings all mixed up inside her.

She laced her fingers and looked at them. She didn't know if she was angry at her mother. She missed her, it was hard to feel angry with someone you love so much.

She didn't have family any more, she couldn't say that man was her father. If he was, and if he had loved her mother so much, why hadn't he killed her mother's murderer? He was supposed to be the Batman.

The Dark Night, the most feared crime fighter in New Gotham had just left and run away as a coward. What a brave man.

Why was this happening to her? What had she done? All in her life had been so perfect until now. What could be worst than waking one day and discovering that your entire world is completely different than the one you thought you were living.

She wondered when she had pissed off God. She really wanted to know.

"Can we talk?" Barbara asked from behind her.

"I don't want to talk." Helena said truthfully. She was not in the mood to see or talk to Barbara.

"I think we need to." The redhead walked toward her and stopped a few steps away.

"Why?" Helena pressed her lips together, "Because you say so?"

"No, because I think you misunderstood some things."

Helena laughed to herself and turned to see her guardian, "You think so?"

"Yes."

"And what about what I think and I feel?"

"Helena, I know this is not easy, but you must understand."

"What must I understand? That no one asked me? I'm the one who lost her mother! I`m the only one that didn't know who her father was!"

"Your mother was protecting you."

"Everybody lied to me!" the young woman stood up and faced Barbara. "Did I misunderstand that?"

"I didn't lie to you! I didn't know who he was!" Barbara tried to explain. "I just discovered it a few weeks ago!"

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I didn't know if it was the right thing to do! You were hurt!"

"Why do you two think that you have the right to decide what I should know?" Helena shouted.

"You don't understand the risk associated with people knowing who your mother was, the risk that people find out that you are Batman's daughter!"

"I don't fucking care about those people!" The brunette paced, annoyed, her fists in balls. "I needed to know! It was my right!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do!" Barbara sighed. "Your mother…."

"This is not about my mother, it's about you! Why didn't you tell me?" Helena growled, facing her "I trusted you!"

"Helena, it shocked me when I found out who your father was, too! He is my friend! Why is knowing so important? How would things change by knowing his name?"

Frustrated, Helena waved her hands. "I don't know! But I needed to know! I feel stupid knowing that everybody knew about my life except me! I don't know who I am anymore!" She shook her head. "I don't know who I want to be… I don't know anything…"

"Helena, don't judge yourself based on him…" Barbara said sadly. "You are you, you are the same person that your mother raised."

"No." Helena shook her head. "I'm not that girl anymore."

"I love you just the same."

"No! Not true!" Helena glared at her. "You don't love me!"

"I love you and I know you love me, but not in the way you think." Barbara stood in front of her.

"You don't know." Helena lowered her head, mumbling.

"It's just an illusion in your head, Helena." Barbara felt bad, she didn't want this, she didn't want to hurt her.

"Are you telling me that the joy I feel every time I see you is not real?" Blue eyes fixed on green with an intensity that sent shivers down the redhead's back. "Why do I feel those butterflies inside me when you smile at me? Why do I felt my knees weak when your lips touch my cheek in a goodnight kiss?"

"You are idolizing me because I'm the one closest to you. You will forget me soon."

The brunette chuckled. "Drop a tear in the ocean now," blue eyes locked on green "the day that I find it, that's the day I will stop loving you."

Barbara smiled sadly. That was so tender. She couldn't suppress her feelings and hugged the petite brunette.

You are so sweet. I'm sorry, Helena."

"Why can you love other women and not me?"

The redhead kissed her forehead. "You are a wonderful girl, Helena. You are important to me, you know that. But, I can't love you the way you want… you are my best friend's daughter. You are too young. You can't love me, it's just a crush. I'm sure that when you grow up, you will realize this was just a crush."

Helena pushed the woman away, feeling her heart breaking. Why couldn't she understand this was not just a crush?

"Why can't you see me? It's something so strong in me, why can't you understand it?"

"I'm your guardian, Helena. It's so wrong!" Barbara sighed and shook her head.

"Loving someone who doesn't feel the same way about you is like trying to reach for a star," Helena mumbled. "It's right there in front of you, but it's millions of miles away and you can never touch it. You are that for me, a star." Helena's blue eyes looked at Barbara with sadness. "I could never touch you. No matter how much I want it. I don't want to see you anymore."

"Hel…"

"You lied to me and now you think I'm crazy with my feelings." Helena took a step back, glaring at her.

"You know that is not true, I love you."

"You loved the other Helena. Now you don't know me anymore! I don't want to see you again! I hate you!"

Helena growled, walking inside the apartment. Barbara lifted her arm to stop the girl, but arrested her movement. Helena wasn't going to listen to her. She took a deep breath and stared into the dark night. She hated what had happened, she hated that Helena felt so betrayed.

And she couldn't do anything… but she was not going to give up on her. She knew that the girl felt alone and she needed support. Helena might try to be cold and distant sometimes, but inside she needed to be loved, she was still the same Helena… and she was not going to fail her anymore.

---------------------------------------------------

Helena was not in the mood to go to the school, but at least it mean being far from the clock tower and Barbara. She didn't want to see her again in her whole life. She was so disappointed, she had trusted her. She had really trusted her and…

She had been to her first three classes, but it was hard to concentrate. She spent almost all day hiding in the gardens, just staring at nothing. She wasn't in the mood to take classes, well, she wasn't in the mood to do anything.

There were so many mixed emotions. She hadn't talked to the redhead and barely seen her the last week. She just went to school and back to the house, locking herself in her room. She checked her watch. It was time to walk home. To delay her arrival, she'd been walking, rather than riding the bus or getting a ride with a friend. It was much better to walk. She put her earphones in her ears and turned on her walkman.

She took her time walking. She had to cross a small park surrounded by trees. She liked it; it had small bridges and a lake. She crossed under one of the bridges below, above her was a bike path. She stopped and looked around, she felt danger. It was a weird feeling.

"Well, well, the young lady is here." A tall man appeared suddenly in front of her, with two more thugs behind him, he had a strange gun in his hand. It was one of the big thugs that she had run into a few nights before. "It seems you have some important friends."

She turned her head, behind her was another guy pointing at her with another strange gun. He grinned at her.

"I was wondering…" the man in front of her said, "if you could help us find Batgirl. We have business with her. You know her, right?"

The lithe brunette prepared her fists to fight. The man laughed.

"No, we don't want to fight you. You will help us find Batgirl."

The man behind her shot his gun at the same time as the man in front of her. She tried to jump, but a heavy metallic net fell over her, and then a second one. She struggled to get to her feet, but the net made it difficult to move. One of the men was on her and she hit him with her elbow .

"Hold her!" the man shouted, holding his nose.

The second man was on her in a second and the third one too. They pushed her against the ground, trying to immobilize her. She managed to kick another guy in his face.

"I got her!" one of them shouted, hugging her.

Helena felt some one holding her legs and a prick in her thigh. This could not be good. Almost immediately, a heavy sensation invaded her body, she felt stunned, dazed. With one last effort, she pushed back the man that was holding her arms and kicked the one who was restraining her feet. She rolled and tried to run away, but a deep tiredness overwhelmed her.

A man pinned her on the ground and she and she couldn't find the strength to fight. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to keep them open, until the drug finally overpowered her.

"She's asleep," said the man with the syringe, seeing that she was still.

"Damn, crazy girl." The one that Helena had hit with her elbow cleaned the blood from his nose.

"I told you she was strong. Pick her up… hurry," his partner said, looking around and removing the net covering the girl, "I don't want the police coming around."

One of them put her over his shoulder and they ran toward a hidden car.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	18. Kidnapped

At the foundation, Barbara stared at the city below her through one of the large windows in her office. She still couldn't find a way to get close to the rebellious teenager. Since last week, Helena had been avoiding her at every corner. She wondered if she had been so difficult when she was young.

She remembered that when she had lost her father and mother, she had buried herself in books. Reading and living those fantastic stories had helped her to soothe the pain inside her. Helena had reacted in a very different way, she had always been impulsive, but now she was becoming rebellious and aggressive…

An aggression that was most dangerous given her meta skills. Helena needed to learn to use and handle her skills, she could hurt someone with her impulsivity.

But the worst part was that all her need to love and be loved had come crashing down squarely on Barbara. Now Helena thought she loved her; she had tried to kiss her.

She covered her face with her hand. How was she supposed to have known thta Helena had a crush on her? When Helena had confessed that she was gay, she never imagined it could happen. Surely, it was just a temporary situation, but she needed to think of what to do, so as to not hurt her.

The phone distracted her from her thoughts. She picked it up.

::It's some man. He says it's urgent, her secretary said. :He said it's about Helena.

Barbara closed her eyes, what new trouble was she in now?

"All right." She waited a few seconds. "Barbara Gordon…"

::Miss Gordon, we need to talk.

"Who is speaking?"

::My name is not important a male voice said :I know you handle the Foundation and that you have significant amounts of money at your disposal. I want four million or you will never see the girl again. Small, unmarked bills only.

"Excuse me?" the redhead frowned. What was he talking about?

::If you want see Helena Kyle alive again, you will do exactly what I say. No cops.

"Helena?" The brunette was supposed to be at school.

::We have her. I hope you don't ask for proof of life, it would be a shame to cut off one of her fingers.:

"You are lying…"

::Check the ID on your phone, Do you recognize the number?

Green eyes fixed on her phone screen. It was Helena's mobile.

"Don't hurt her!" Barbara growled angrily. It was hard to believe someone could kidnap her.

We won't as long as you follow my instructions: the voice on the phone said.

"If you are lying…" she threatened.

The man interrupted her ::Batgirl must bring the money, tomorrow night, to the old warehouse on Mantle Street, 11 pm.

"Batgirl?" The condition worried Barbara.

::Be on time or you will never see the girl alive again.

"But…"

::Don't play games with me, Miss Gordon… or should I say Batgirl?"

Barbara froze on the line.

The line was cut.

"Hello? Hello? Dammit!" Barbara growled. She called her secretary. "Carol, who called me?"

"He said he couldn't give me his name, but it was urgent, about Miss Kyle. Something wrong?"

"No… I… I just forgot ask his name…. thanks. Please call to the school and ask what time she left." She hung up the phone and dialed another number. She needed to contact Helena's friends and Alfred to try to figure out what had happened.

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The brunette stirred, she had trouble opening her eyes. She felt numb and heavy. She realized she was in a small room. It was an old room. Everything seemed be surreal and blurry. She tried to coordinate her body movements, but it was as if her brain was disconnected from the rest of her body.

She had recognized one of the men on the bridge, he had been one of the guys that she had fought last week, before Batgirl had arrived to ruin her night.

Why had they brought her here? Where was she?

She heard voices. Men were talking. She managed to barely open her eyes and noticed two men talking at a table close to her.

"Barbara Gordon?" one of them said. "She is the president of the Wayne Foundation."

Helena shivered when she heard her guardian's name.

"That foundation handles millions of dollars. We got a good business here, I asked for a few million in exchange for the girl."

"She will refuse…"

"Of course not, I told her I know she is Batgirl. We were lucky to have seen her remove her mask that night. I recognized her face immediately."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Take the money, and trap her of course." He crossed his arms over the table "Do you know how much some people would pay to have her? Wow, you don't have any idea."

Helena felt her heart thumping hard against her chest. They were planning to hurt Barbara. She couldn't let them do it. She tried to move her arms and realized she was tied to the bed.

"And the girl?" the man noticed the girl was regaining consciousness. "She is awake."

"Keep her drugged, I don't want trouble. She hits like a mule." The man rubbed his jaw. "We don't need her after our business it's done. I have called several infamous criminals, they are interested in Batgirl, for the right price, of course. She has sent many of their henchmen to prison. I need you to get everything ready." He stood up. "I must prepare the trap."

"All right."

Drugged, yes, that was the reason she felt so numb. Helena opened her eyes, but everything was blurred around her. She pulled her hands, trying to free herself, but her muscles refused to obey her.

"Well, well," someone sat next to her. "Seems you are awake, but don't worry, little girl…." She felt him pushing her sleeve up.

Helena tried to pull back, but another man helped him and kept a strong grip on her arm. She growled, frustrated.

"She recovers very fast."

"I told you she is not normal."

"Give her a double dose."

"Hurry! She is damn strong."

Helena felt his cold fingers on her arm. She cried out when she felt the prick of the needle in her skin.

"Easy…" the man said, holding her down easily. "It was a lucky my boss recognized Barbara Gordon that night when she was with you… we were out of jail in just two days and it was easy to find out that you live with her." He removed the syringe, "I'm not sure she really is Batgirl, but the boss insists she is… Whatever, we demanded a lot of money for you. I don't care who she is or not, I just want my money and when I get it, I will make you pay for breaking my nose."

They released her.

She tried to move, but felt dazed. The images around her turned to long shadows. Flashes of lights filled her vision; her head felt so heavy, the room seemed to spin around her. She didn't want them to hurt Barbara, she was her only family; the only one who really cared for her.

"Barbara…" she mumbled, trying to remain conscious.

It was her fault. She was scared, really scared, and helpless. She needed to find a way to warn the redhead that it was a trap.

The darkness enveloped her.

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"They took her!" Barbara paced on the main platform at the Delphi nervous. "I must go!"

"I know Miss Barbara," Alfred said, "but he knows who are you, it's a trap. When they get you they will surely kill her."

Barbara covered her face with her left hand. "I never should have removed my cowl, I was just trying to get her to understand that I'm her friend. That I never betrayed her."

"I'm sure she knows it."

"No, she is so angry, Alfred..." She fixed her eyes on him. "You didn't see that look in her face… I … I failed her."

"I don't think so," Alfred said. "It's natural for her to react that way. Suddenly, she knew secrets about her past that she never could have imagined."

Barbara put her hands on her hips. "Helena is meta, she's strong, she's fast. Keeping her restrained would not be easy. I'm afraid they will hurt her…."

"They want Batgirl…"

"And the money… when they have both, they will kill us…. If Selina was alive, she would kill me."

"It's not your fault, Miss Barbara."

She sighed, "It is… I let them see me… I argued with her in the street…" The redhead felt so guilty. "It's a beginner mistake. I put her at risk, unnecessarily!"

"Miss Barbara, you need to focus on rescuing her now. I don't think it is productive to keep punishing yourself," Alfred pointed out.

"Yes, you are right." She sat on a chair at the Delphi.

"I don't think they are professionals, you said they looked like street thugs."

"Yes, I still think that."

"And you said you left them tied up and the police picked them up."

Green eyes looked at him. "Police records. The police take pictures and prints of criminals."

She turned to the main computer of the Delphi.

"I'm glad you are thinking straight now."

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The light from the lamp blinded her when she tried to open her eyes. She didn't know how long she had been knocked out. She stirred and rubbed her eyes. Her entire body felt numb and heavy.

She heard voices in the corridor.

"Is she coming?" he asked.

"Boss said yes, she will come."

Helena heard two men talking outside the room where she was locked. She tried to organize her thoughts. She was drugged and scared, scared of being so helpless and not knowing what they would try to do to Barbara.

"Batgirl is dangerous."

"Boss said he will trap her."

"Does he really know who she is?"

"He says so… But I'm not sure."

Helena opened her eyes and looked around, everything was blurry. Her eyes were feral. She had to get out, she needed to tell Barbara it was a trap. They wanted to hurt her. She pulled her arms. She was still chained to the bed frame.

Crap.

The voices kept talking outside.

"I think he invented that story and now he just wants to make money with the girl."

"He can write a book if he wants, I just want my money."

"The boss says he will sell her."

"Barbara Gordon is not just any person, I think he is planning kidnap her, too, and ask for more money."

"She is a damn beauty. Maybe we can have some fun with her."

Helena pulled again and felt the metal of the bed frame bending. She could try again. Closing her eyes brief seconds to concentrate, she pulled once more. It didn't move an inch.

She rested her head on the hard mattress, everything twisted around her. She had been going home the same way the last few days. They surely had followed her and, knowing she was strong, they had prepared the net to trap her. Now she understood many things, they had kidnapped her because they had seen her talking with Batgirl that night.

Her mom had been right to hide who she was, to hide that she had been Catwoman and Batman's daughter. She would have been in constant danger all the time. It hadn't been Barbara's fault.

Now they wanted to catch the redhead.

Barbara would try to look for her. Helena needed to stop her.

She was her only family. Fear overtook her, she didn't want to lose her too, as she'd lost her mother.

She pulled hard again, this time the metal bent and broke.

She was free.

She stood up feeling her legs tremble under her weight. The door opened at that moment and the men walked inside.

"She is awake!"

"Frikkin' bitch… how could she?"

One of the thugs tried to hold her, but she hit him hard, she lost her balance and stumbled back. Her heart raced, she couldn't let them trap her again. That was when one of them wrapped his arms around her. Using her feet, she pushed herself back and she fell to the floor, with the man still holding her. Someone tried to grab her feet and she struggled. The men shouted something. Desperate, she tried unsuccessfully to break his hold.

"Easy, girl…" the man hugging her said in her ear. "Cocktail time. John!"

"I'm coming," another voice said.

"No!" she cried, frustrated.

"Help me here."

Another man was over her. She could smell him close, it was disgusting. She tried to move her head back, but he held her tight.

"Let me go!" Helena growled when she felt a needle in her arm.

"Easy, easy…" the man whispered in her ear, "Everything will be okay."

She hated being drugged. It was like being in the middle of nothing.

The man removed the needle.

Helena felt the numbness surrounding her body, claiming her senses and she stopped struggling; her eyes were so heavy, she felt so tired.

"That is much better, girl," the man said brushing her hair.

"She is beauty." One said.

"Yea, she is... and she has beauty eyes too…" he smiled grabbing her face with his hand to look in her eyes. "Oh shit," he exclaimed, moving back.

"What?"

"Her eyes…" the man stood up.

Helena knew she needed to fight against the drug, but it so easily overwhelmed her; she didn't know what they were giving her that knocked her out like that.

She felt his fingers grabbing her face as hard as pincers and, then, fingers on her eye lids. She groaned, annoyed.

"What is she?" the man said examining her pupils.

"I don't know."

"She is a freak." He released her.

Closing her eyes, Helena surrendered to the heaviness invading her.

Suddenly she heard distant loud noises and grunts; but she was too dazed to move.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	19. Back home

The redhead arrived at the warehouse a few minutes before the scheduled time. Reading the records of the thugs, she realized they were minor burglars without much experience. She knew there were four men surrounding the place.

She had knocked down two of them before entering the building. Her goal was to rescue Helena first.

There were two or three inside.

Her instinct was good, almost all of them were outside waiting for her. She slipped through the air conditioning duct and, in a few seconds, was inside the three floor building. She landed on the third floor and walked silently through the rooms, looking for the young girl.

She heard noise on the floor below. Carefully, she walked down the stairway. The girl was lying on the floor, unmoving between two men. If they had hurt her, they would pay for it. She didn't think twice, but used both hands as a hammer and knocked one of the men on the back of his head. The other one tried to react and she kicked him.

With another hard blow, he was unconscious like his partner. Batgirl kneeled next to the unmoving brunette, petrified that she was hurt.

"Helena?" she asked touching her face "Helena, it's me, are you okay?"

The brunette growled.

"Hey, it's me," Batgirl said.

Helena tried to move and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"Helena?" the crime fighter knew something was wrong. She checked the girl's pupils; Helena groaned, annoyed, and tried to push her hands back. "Easy, it's me."

Her pupils were dilated and feral. She noticed a syringe on the floor. She picked it up and opened it to smell.

They had drugged her. She put it inside a plastic bag and secured it to her belt.

"Helena, can you hear me?" she asked, but the girl didn't respond. She put her hand on her ear to turn on her mic. "Alfred, I have her. They drugged her."

Is she all right?

"Yes." She put her hand on the brunette's neck, "but they must have given her a strong dose to keep her down, Helena's metabolism is not normal. "Helena, it's me. Can you hear me?"

Golden eyes tried to open unsuccessfully and the girl growled weakly.

Barbara knew she was in a very vulnerable position. She looked around. She realized, then, that it would be difficult to try to escape with Helena. She was too heavy and there was still a man or two wandering about. She needed to trap them first. "She is out, Alfred. I need to hide her."

Second floor, to your right.

"Barbara?" Helena asked drowsily, she could smell her close.

"Yes, it's me. I'll move you out of here."

Barbara lifted the teen, hugging her against her. She walked outside the room and looked around. All clear. She moved the brunette to the upper floor.

She put Helena in a room on the upper floor. "Stay here," she whispered, checking around "I'll be right back."

The redhead felt the brunette's hand on hers.

"Don't go…"

Batgirl smiled and patted her arm. "I'll be fine, you be quiet."

"No…" Helena mumbled, she wanted so desperately stop her. "He wants you…"

The crime fighter noticed she was restless. She cupped her cheek with her palm.

"Hey, hey… Helena, listen to me."

The young girl could barely stay awake. She narrowed her pupils trying to focus, but everything was distorted. She stared at her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Angel?" Helena mumbled, almost in a whisper. The angel that she remembered when she was a child was with her again.

The redhead was surprised. She caressed her cheek. "No, it's me, Barbara."

"Angel…" The brunette rested her head on the Barbara's shoulder, feeling safe, and closed her eyes.

"I'll take you home," Batgirl said.

"It's… a trap." Helena said in a barely audible voice.

"What?"

"He wants to kill you…"

"Don't worry; I'll be fine,"

"Please…." the brunette begged, with anguish, hugging her harder.

"Hel… it's fine…" the redhead said, caressing her hair "Calm down, I'll be fine, I know it's a trap, I can handle it."

"Don't go…" the brunette mumbled, fighting the darkness that was enveloping her.

"Trust me, please." She squeezed her hand, "I promise I'll be back, but I need you to help me," Batgirl whispered. "Don't make any noise or they will know you are here. Don't make any noise, please. Understand?."

Batgirl realized Helena was unconscious. It was for the best. Batgirl moved back and hid her with old cardboard boxes. She moved silently outside the room and went toward the stairs.

The red head walked downstairs. She was taking the last step when she heard the sound of a gun cocking.

"Well, I didn't expect to find you here." he said.

"Well, you invited me, I couldn't refuse," she said, turning to see him and crossing her arms. He was tall and heavy.

"Where is the money?" the man asked.

"No money for criminals like you."

"I see the girl is gone," he waved his gun toward the empty room, "but I still have you."

"Yes, you have me and now?"

"I know who you are…"

"And I know who are you." She smirked "A common burglar trying to get rich quick."

"Laugh…" he said, "but I know your secret identity, you are lost."

"I'm here boss," a voice behind her said.

She turned, she was not expecting another guest at the party.

"Everybody will know who you are." The first man grinned, pointing at her with a gun.

"Come on, Boss, stop that," the man behind Batgirl said.

"You saw her, too!"

"It was dark, I'm not sure. Just ask for the money and let's go!"

"Don't try any tricks," the man growled at Batgirl.

"I wouldn't think of it." With a fast turn, she disabled the man at her back with her left arm and ducked, sweeping her leg, making the man in front of her fall to the floor. She straightened up and punched the man still behind her in the face. He hit his back against the wall.

Batgirl turned and kicked one of the guns downstairs.

"Damn bitch." The man that had been threatening her, attacked her. She blocked his first blow with her arm and she connected a fist to his gut. He stepped back and she hit him again, using both hands as a fist.

He finally connected a punch to her face and he grabbed her by her waist. Both crashed against one of the walls, which broke under their weight. Dust covered the air.

Batgirl took him by his lapel and they rolled. She was on top of him and punched him in his face. She heard then a familiar sound behind her and she jumped to the side as the gun was fired. The impact hit the burglar that she'd been fighting straight in his chest. She took a batarang from her belt and threw it at the man who had shot the gun. It hit him in the head, he fell to the ground.

She exhaled, that had been close. She turned and checked the man bleeding on the floor. She took his pulse, he was dead.

"Alfred?" She put her hand over her neck.

Yes, madam?

"It's clear. Are you close?"

Yes, two blocks away

"Bring the car here, I'll need help getting Helena home."

What if the criminal alerts the police to your secret identity? the gentle butler asked.

"I don't think we need to worry. He is already dead. I'll explain everything later." She walked upstairs.

She found the brunette lying on the place she'd left her. She removed the cardboard boxes and when she touched her, the girl pushed back.

"Hey, it's me…" the redhead said gently. "Easy,.. Helena? It's me… Barbara…" She took the teen's hand in her own and brushed her hair.

Helena managed to barely open her eyes. She recognized her and squeezed her fingers lightly.

"Yes, that's it. You are safe now." Batgirl smiled. "Now, we must go, the police are coming."

The crime fighter moved an arm around her back and lifted her. The girl rested her head on her shoulder.

When Batgirl was outside, a black car was waiting for her. Alfred hurried to open the door.

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The man was laughing, she wanted to run, but she couldn't. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor. The needle buried in her arm and she growled, annoyed, but he was strong, stronger than her. She was falling in a deep, dark hole. She saw the men fighting with Batgirl, she wanted to help, she wanted to move, but she couldn't.

That was when she saw a knife in his hand. She shouted at Barbara to watch out, but she didn't hear her. The man buried the knife in her midsection.

Helena yelled and cried out, trying to help her, but still she was glued to the floor. She saw her falling down.

"Barbara!" the girl cried, waking up abruptly. Disconcerted, she looked around, but everything was still blurry.

She was not dreaming, she was still in that place. She tried to stand up, but her legs failed and she fell to the floor, making a loud noise. In her fall, she knocked some objects off a table next to the bed. She was still under the effect of the drugs.

She heard a door opening and saw two shadows. They were there, she had to run away. They were on her in a moment and she struggled in a panic, trying to escape. Someone hugged her from behind. She whimpered, frustrated.

"Helena… it's me, it's me…calm down," the voice said

They put her against the floor. She was desperate. Her feet were close to the wall and she pushed back with her feet.

"Dammit!" a voice behind her grunted.

Helena kicked the air, struggling.

"Helena, it's me!" the voice behind her said.

"Let me go!" the teenager cried.

"It's Barbara." The redhead was having a hard time holding on to the girl.

"Let me go!"

"Helena, it's Barbara," Barbara was against the wall with her arms wrapped around the girl. "Focus on my voice, it's me, Barbara, calm down."

A familiar scent filled Helena's nostrils, it was her. The girl was suddenly still.

"Are you okay?" Barbara said softly, slowly releasing her grip on the teen.

"Barbara?" the teenager mumbled, looking up. She couldn't focus on her.

"Hey…" the redhead smiled, gently brushing some hair from Helena's eyes. "Hi…"

"I can't see you…"

"Don't worry, it's the drugs, you will be better soon."

"You are safe." Helena wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her.

"Yes, I am…" Barbara patted her back. "It's okay."

"They wanted to hurt you."

"Usually bad guys want to do that, yes. I'm not as popular as I thought."

The teenager rested her head on her guardian's shoulder. "I feel sick."

"I know. It's the drug, Leslie already analyzed it. You will be okay, but need a bit of time to kick it off." She waved a hand toward Alfred, who was standing close to them. "Give me a hand to move her back to the bed again."

The old man bent down and helped the brunette to her feet.

"I'll bring her some warm milk." Alfred said, once they got Helena back on the bed.

"All right." The redhead sat close to the young girl, who hugged her waist and buried her head in her side when she felt her close. It felt so good to have her so close.

Barbara brushed her hair. "Are you okay?"

The teenager nodded. She loved her so much, she wanted to say it to her, to make her understand what she was feeling, but she knew it would be useless. Barbara would never love her back.

"Did they touch you?"

"No." The girl shook her head.

Barbara stroked her hair softly. "I was so worried about you."

"They wanted to hurt you," Helena mumbled, feeling a sudden ache in her heart, the thought of losing the redhead made her shiver.

"I'm fine..."

"Is she okay?" Leslie appeared in the doorway. "Alfred told me she is awake."

"Yes," Barbara nodded, "Just a nightmare."

"I don't want you to be hurt." Helena's voice seemed so small.

Barbara understood the girl was frightened about everything that had happened. "Hel, I'm fine, I'll never leave you alone." She squeezed her hand.

"Angel…"

The redhead remembered Helena called her that when she was a child and she had helped her, not knowing she was Barbara.

The brunette closed her eyes. She felt safe and secure, surrounded by the familiar smell of Barbara's bedroom, her close warmth, the softness of the blankets. So very different than the cold, rough place where those men that had restrained her the last couple of days.

"I'm sorry, Barbara," she mumbled.

"You don't need to apologize for anything." Barbara smiled, feeling a light purr from the girl.

Helena didn't answer, she had fallen asleep again.

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**TO BE CONTINUED**


	20. Back to the present

Ten months later, things had returned to normal at the Clock Tower. Barbara was more relaxed, Helena had forgotten her crush, talking enthusiastically about her new girlfriend every chance she had. She had invited her to lunch sometimes at the penthouse. She spent a lot time with her and seemed to finally be adapting to her new life.

After graduation, Helena had started to work. She said that school was not for her. Barbara didn't like the idea, but it was much better than having her sitting around the house all day.

One afternoon, Leslie arrived at the Clock Tower. She stood at the main door of the gym, just in time to see Barbara sweeping the floor with Helena. She winced, it had surely hurt; she didn't understand the love of those women for rough sports.

The girl shook her head.

"Good move, but you were distracted," Barbara said, extending her hand to her. "You stopped my first blow, but forgot I have feet."

"You are like an octopus," the brunette growled, standing up and rubbing her back.

"You must focus on all the movements of your opponent," Barbara explained, taking a towel from a bench close to her. "We are done." She noticed the doctor was there. "Hey Leslie."

"You are mistreating my patient," the old woman said, stepping inside with her medical bag in hand.

"That's what I told her." Helena rubbed her back.

"Don't be silly." Barbara threw her a clean towel. She turned to the doctor. "I'm glad you could come to dinner, Leslie."

"Thanks for the invitation," she extended an envelope. "It seems I need to examine her, you are bruising her too much."

"Oh, come on, she hits harder than me." Barbara laughed.

"And I love it when she spanks my ass." Helena winked at her.

"Don't be kinky." The redhead glared at her.

"Whatever, I never land a hit," Helena protested.

Barbara patted her shoulder "You're a teenager. You have to fight. I'm an adult, so I get to win. You must learn. I'm going to go take a shower."

"I can help you if you want."

"I don't want your girlfriend to be jealous."

"Well, it could be a secret."

"Ha ha…" Barbara hit her arm playfully, before leaving the room. "I'll be right back, Leslie."

"How are you, Helena?" Leslie asked.

"Before Barbara kicked my ass, I was fine." The brunette sat on the bench wiping her sweat.

"Well, you wanted to learn." Leslie set her medical bag on the bench.

"Barbara has been teaching me, but I still can't win. She is fast."

"Well, you are too, you just need practice. How have you been feeling?"

"Great. Barbara said my reflexes are good."

"I'm glad you two have a better relationship. Barbara loves you so much. She worries about you so much that sometimes she feels guilty."

"Why guilty?"

"She thinks she has failed Selina and you," the doctor explained. "She promised to take care of you and, until now, she was not sure that she was doing it well. She hasn't even had a pet before."

"I'm not a pet." Helena lifted her eyebrow.

"I know, I'm joking." The old doctor smiled at her. "She is afraid she can't give you what you need." Leslie paused. "We didn't tell you about your dad because we were following your mother's wishes."

"I know now why my mother did it." Helena bit her lips and sighed, "Those men kidnapped me, thinking they could hurt Barbara."

"Batgirl," Leslie corrected. "I know all about her. Don't worry."

"Anyone could have used me to try to hurt my mom or him. I understand now."

"I'm glad you are not mad at us anymore."

"I'm sorry… " Helena mumbled. "I didn't know."

"It's okay, don't worry," Leslie smiled, "but always know that we want the best for you. We know we will never be your mom, but we want to be close to you."

The brunette laughed lightly.

"And how is your girlfriend?"

"Which one?"

The doctor glared at her.

"Hey, better two than just one. Just don't tell Barbara."

"Okay, the official one?"

"Pretty cool, we are going camping this weekend." Helena grinned. She had convinced Leslie and Barbara that her crush on Barbara was gone, but the truth was that it was still there, growing. She had chosen go out with some girls to try to stop thinking of the redhead and to convince Barbara that she was doing okay. Barbara was very worried about her and Helena didn't want to hurt her. She figured it was best for everyone if she hid it.

"Good, it will be nice... Helena," Leslie asked, "I'm curious, why are you training with Barbara?"

"She says it's good for me to learn to defend myself and so that I can be a good crime-fighter."

The doctor arrested her movement, fixing her eyes on the brunette. "Excuse me?"

"She says I can be a good crime fighter." And the truth was that Helena wanted to be like her.

The old woman's face hardened, she felt her blood boiling, she had never agreed with Bruce being Batman or Barbara being Batgirl. To her it was a risk, an unnecessary risk of their lives, and now Barbara was thinking about putting that child in danger? What the hell was she thinking?

"Leslie?" Helena asked, noticing she was staring at her, unmoving. "Something wrong?"

"No, no…" Leslie shook her head, "I was…. Just… What do you think about her idea?"

"Sounds cool. I like to fight," Helena responded, remembering that when she was hitting the bad guys, she was excited and it felt good. It was adrenaline. She avoided talking about that fact that she would hunt for her mother's killer, too. She knew that Leslie and Barbara hated the "killing" thing. "And I can learn to defend myself."

"Don't you think it would be dangerous?"

"Maybe… But it makes it more exciting."

"Exciting?" Leslie blinked. "Do you find risking your life every night exciting?"

"We never know when life will end. It could be today or tomorrow." The teenager explained with a serious expression on her face, "It's not in your hands. Sometimes, others make the decision for you."

For the first time in a very long time, Leslie didn't have the words to answer. She took a deep breath.

"Let me ask you again," Leslie said. "Is this what you want?"

Leslie felt a shiver down her back when she heard her answer.

"Yes."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner had been pleasant and Helena had been in good mood, as had Barbara. At the end of the night, Helena had gone to rest and Leslie and the redhead talked in the living room over a warm cup of coffee. They were alone and just the soft sound of music from a CD player could be heard.

"Helena got over her crush on you, I see." Leslie took a sip of her coffee.

"Yes, thank God," Barbara said. "Now she loves to taunt me with her flirting. She wants to startle me, but she never can. She is doing well with her new girlfriend, she spends so much time with her and I think it is good."

The old doctor thought it was the best moment for a talk.

"Barbara…" she said, playing with her fingers around her mug of coffee. "Do you think it's a good idea to train the girl to be a crime fighter?"

"Helena is exceptional," the redhead explained, "she has great skills, she just needs to learn how to fight and defend herself."

Leslie took a deep breath and looked at her. "Why?"

"Why?"

"You know what being a crime fighter is, you know how rough it is. Why do you want to expose her to that life? She is just a kid!"

"Helena is half meta, it's hard for her to control her temper," Barbara sighed crossing her legs on the couch. "You know she could easily kill anyone with just a snap of her fingers. I want to train her because it means she will learn to control her temper, to know that killing is not to be taken lightly, to be responsible for her abilities and skills, and to use them with her head and not with her heart. Helena, in the wrong hands, would be a lethal weapon."

"You know I never agreed with Bruce being Batman or you being Batgirl."

"Yes, I know."

"He has been badly hurt, as have you… Helena will get hurt too. Why do you want that for her?"

Barbara shook her head and took a few seconds before answering. "It's difficult to explain, Leslie. This is just what we are, it's like a call that we can't deny and that helps us to save many lives."

"With a high cost."

"Helena could help to save so many lives, Leslie."

"You quit being Batgirl and now you push her into the hole?" Leslie asked, unable to prevent the irritation in her voice. "Explain that to me because I don't understand."

Barbara put her mug on the table next to her. "I quit being Batgirl after asking myself what I wanted to be. I discovered that I can be more useful through the Delphi. I can help other vigilantes by telling them what's happening, what's coming. I have been doing it for months now. I have saved many lives using the Delphi, being an Oracle for them."

"You are playing with many lives."

"No, I'm helping to save many lives."

"You are not God."

"I know that."

"What is wrong with you, then?" Leslie stood up and paced.

"What do you want, Les?" green eyes narrowed. "That I let criminals control the city and just sit around watching them break the law, destroy lives and kill people like Helena's mother? I can't do that. My heart tells me it's wrong, if I can do something, I'll do it. This is like what you do; you work saving lives at the hospital. You can't quit."

"It's different," Leslie responded.

"Why is it different?" Barbara leaned forward, toward Leslie.

"Because I don't use force against other people, because I don't risk my life or a teenager's life."

"I'm not risking anyone, I'm teaching her to not kill herself with her own anger, to use her skills, her talent, to not let her fall to the dark side. It's Helena's choice whether or not to be a crime fighter when I finish training her."

"You are training her to be a crime fighter."

"I'm giving her techniques to survive," Barbara waved her hand. "Someday, someone will discover who she is and I do not want her to be incapable of defending herself. Look at what happened a week ago. I want her ready to face anything. You know who she is and you know many people would enjoy killing her, just for being their daughter."

"She is just a child."

"I know that!!" Barbara almost shouted. "It scares me what people would want to do to her! After I saw what those men did to her, I was totally convinced that the best thing is training her. I don't want to see her hurt by some criminal because she doesn't know how to protect herself."

Leslie angrily shook her head, this was insane. "You are wrong."

"Helena knows who her mother was," Barbara said. "Did you know she tried to be like her by stealing?"

Leslie turned to face the redhead. "You told me."

"She is confused, she doesn't know who she is, what she wants to be. It took a lot to convince her that her mother quit that life because it was the wrong way. Helena is angry, Leslie, angry at the world. I'm teaching her to handle her temper; I don't want her hate to change her into something we have been fighting for years. Do you want that?"

The doctor stared at her in silence. In some ways Barbara was right, but she hated the idea of seeing Helena turning into a crime fighter like her father, like Barbara. That life was so violent and dangerous.

"I don't want to see her turned into Bruce -- a lonely person thinking only of revenge, of fighting, not taking care of his own life, not taking care of his own family, his own daughter. I'm sorry, Barbara, I can't agree with what are you doing." Leslie picked up her medical bag and walked toward the door.

The redhead watched her go in silence. She crossed her arms, she didn't the older woman to be mad at her, but she knew, somehow, this was the best way for Helena.

"I'm sorry, Les…"

"Me too…"

The young woman pinched the bridge of her nose, she didn't want Leslie to be upset, but this always happened every time they talked about crime fighting. This was a topic upon which they would never agree. And she felt bad about it.

Leslie stood up at the elevator in silence before turning to look at her. "Great dinner, I'm glad you didn't cook."

Barbara smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Take care, Freckles."

"You too, Les."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**PRESENT**

"After that, a strong bond developed between them," Alfred explained to Dinah. "Barbara is Helena's family; the person she most loves after her mom, and Helena, for Miss Barbara, is her daughter, her best friend, her little sister… you see them arguing or fighting often, but sometimes it's a way to show each other their affection. They are not the kind of women who hug each other or say 'I love you'. They are quite overprotective of each other…"

"I noticed that." The blonde girl now understood so many things, like who Leslie is. She gazed toward the living room, where Helena still had her head buried in her hands, as she sat on a couch.

Alfred noticed it. "She is really frightened of losing her." He mumbled, "She never would say it, but Miss Barbara has been everything for her, she never quit on her and she rescued her from her pain and anger."

"Helena really loves her. Does Barbara know?"

"In my modest opinion, she denies what she sees and feels."

"Why? Did you know about Helena's feelings for her?" Dinah looked at him curiously.

"Those two are open books, Miss Dinah. The problem is that they still haven't learned to read each other."

"It's crazy."

"And what in this life isn't it, Miss Dinah?"

Leslie appeared in the living room, Helena stood up quickly.

"How is she?" she asked, walking toward the old doctor.

Leslie smiled at the brunette and cupped her cheek, "We need to give her time. She lost so much blood."

"But… she will be okay, right?"

"I hope so, my dear. She is strong, we can only wait now."

Helena brushed her hair back and bent over, feeling a deep desperation inside her.

"Hel, don't lose your faith." Leslie rubbed her back.

The young woman straightened, covering her nose. Leslie could see the tears in her eyes.

"I can't lose her, Les, I can't," she cried.

"You need to be strong for her now." Leslie hugged her. "I need you to help me move her to her bedroom, okay?"

The dark haired woman nodded.

Helena walked toward the bedroom while Leslie went to the kitchen where Alfred and Dinah were waiting for her. She waved her hands.

"We can only wait," Leslie said, noticing their faces. She removed her white doctor's robe and went to the sink to wash her hands.

"Do you want something for dinner?" Alfred asked gently.

"Just some coffee." She dried her hands with the towel that Alfred extended, as she noticed Dinah. "And you are?"

"Dinah… Dinah Redmond," the teen said, extending her hand.

"She helped us find Miss Barbara," Alfred explained.

"Thanks…" Leslie shook her hand. "Thanks so much."

"She is like Miss Helena," Alfred said, pouring coffee into a mug, "She has similar skills."

Leslie cocked her head. "Oh, interesting… What are your skills?"

Dinah brushed a strand of hair behind her ear nervously, "I can read minds when I touch people…."

"Mmm… telepathic?" Leslie sat at the breakfast table.

"More or less… Will Barbara be okay?"

"I hope so."

* * *

Alfred walked into the room with a tray of food.

Helena was asleep on a chair next to Barbara's bed. The redhead had been unconscious since the brunette had rescued her. Leslie said they'd passed the critical hours, but Barbara still hadn't opened her eyes.

Helena had refused to move from the older woman's side for the last two days. She said she needed to be there. Alfred had not seen her so sad and depressed since her mother's death. The brunette spent the day just sitting there, watching Barbara sleep. He had asked the brunette to rest, but she had refused.

A tender smile drew across his face when he saw Helena's head resting on the bed and her hand holding Barbara's. It spoke volumes as to how much the older woman meant to her.

She had barely slept, so he left the tray with a glass of milk and some pop tarts on the table next to her before leaving the room, silently.

A few seconds after Barbara stirred, she felt sore and her side hurt. She slowly opened her eyes. She recognized her room and stared at the ceiling for long moments trying to organize her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was that cold warehouse and being kidnapped by some unknown people. They shot her.

Yes, it would explain the pain in her side. She moved her hand to her waist and felt the bandage under the blankets. Yes, they shot her, it still hurt.

She felt a hand on her other hand. Turning her head, she saw it was Helena.

She smiled, her beautiful and lovely Helena, the woman that had conquered her heart without knowing it. She had wished so many times that things would be different, that she could open her heart to her and, maybe then, Helena would love her back.

She moved her hand out from under Helena's and scratched her head lightly.

The brunette sleepily lifted her head.

"Hi." Barbara said.

"Barbara?" the brunette asked, blinking.

"Still here…"

"You are awake," she said happily. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." The redhead closed her eyes again.

"You never use bad words."

"I have never felt like I do now. This sucks…."

"You will be all right…" Helena whispered, taking her hand and kissing her fingers.

Barbara smiled gently at her. "I'm tough, you know?" she grimaced.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm all sore." Barbara turned her head on the pillow and looked at the brunette. "Thanks."

"Hey, it was my turn to save your ass, you always save mine."

"My ass is worth it."

"Yes, you have a great ass." Helena winked at her.

"How long I was out?"

"Two days."

Helena had big, black rings under her eyes, Barbara's fingers touched the girl's cheek, she realized immediately that the younger woman hadn't moved from her side. It was so sweet. It was one of the many reasons she loved her, those tender touches. Helena had a big heart under the dark shield that was Huntress.

"Have you been here the last two days?" she asked gently.

"I was worried about you." Helena said, avoiding the green eyes.

"You haven't eaten either…"

"Oh, well… I'm not a good cook."

"I'm sure Alfred is here." Barbara lifted her brow.

The brunette blushed.

"Thanks, sweetheart," the redhead said smiling, noticing her embarrassment.

"I always will be here for you, Barbara."

"How did you find me?"

"Dinah," Helena sighed. "If Dinah hadn't been there, I never would have found you."

"What?" the redhead mumbled.

Helena lowered her head. She knew how difficult this would be for Barbara. "It was Jackie."

"Jackie? What about Jackie?"

The young crime fighter sighed and fixed her eyes on the woman.

"Jackie was involved in criminal activity in the Foundation. When you stopped the powdered milk buy, her partners were mad. It seems there was too much money involved, so they kidnapped you, they wanted you to sign some contracts to introduce their illegal merchandise. Being a Foundation, the import/export procedures are easier and the merchandise inspections are minimal."

"Are you crazy?" Barbara tried to sit and winced, feeling everything moving around her.

Helena stood up and held her, to prevent her from falling back. "Careful, you are healing."

Barbara surrendered to her dizziness and rested her head on her pillow again. "My head…"

"You are still weak." Helena sat on her chair.

"Helena, Jackie can't…"

"Dinah took Jackie's hand and saw it," Helena explained with a serious expression. "She also saw where they kept you restrained. I found you because of her."

Barbara closed her eyes and put her hand across her forehead "Jackie? How could she?"

"She is now in jail, the police picked up the henchmen I left tied up. I called Wayne Industries and asked the finance manager to check the movement of money and accounts in the Foundation. At first look, it seems she has been doing this for a long time."

"How could she….?"

"I don't know, but she did it… and they almost killed you."

Barbara exhaled. This was a shocking. She never expected one of her best friends could do this to her. They had worked together on this for almost four years. She stared at the ceiling in silence. Jackie had always been an honest, open person.

She noticed Helena was remarkably still. "Hel? Something wrong?"

"I was so worried about you," Helena whispered. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought I had lost you."

Barbara smirked. "Oh come on, I'm not that easy to get rid of. I still need keep an eye on you to prevent you from downloading movies on to the Delphi."

Helena lifted her head, giggling. She wanted, oh, yes, she wanted this woman so much. The brunette thought she was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, but she could only love her in her dreams. It was enough for her to know that Barbara would be all right.

They looked at each other in silence for long seconds.

"So…" Barbara said sleepily "We must thank Dinah?"

"I think so… but, you should rest now and you can talk with her tomorrow."

The redhead nodded lightly. "I think I'm going to say something I never thought I would say."

"What?"

"You're right. I'll talk with her tomorrow. I want to sleep."

"I'll be here when you wake." Her heart wanted explode and tell her how much she loved her, how much she needed her.

"Promise me you will eat something."

"Promise."

"Hel?"

"Yes?"

"Be nice to Dinah… don't put your plastic snake in her bed."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	21. Back to normal life

"All right, Oracle." Huntress looked down as she crouched over a cornice. Three floors below, some henchmen had broken into a jewelry store. "I'm ready."

{We are ready}, a voice said over the mic.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "All right, Dinah, we are ready."

{You promised I could do this alone}, Dinah said.

"I did?"

{Yes, you did}, Oracle interrupted.

"Great!" Helena said. "Before she came, the fight was equal, one against one, but now it's two against me. That is not fair."

{Next time, think before you talk}, Oracle advised.

"I was just trying to be nice, you told me to be nice."

{And I'm very happy that you are finally being nice.}

{Not so much Dinah interrupted She ate my pizza last night.}

{Huntress, I told you not to eat her pizza,} Oracle sighed, amused.

"Hey, I was hungry, no one waited for me after a long night of fighting against crime."

{You said you didn't want pizza,} Dinah said.

"Because I thought Alfred had my dinner ready, but he didn't cook." Helena growled.

{Of course, he didn`t cook. It was his day off.}

"And how was I supposed to know?"

{It's the same day every week,} Dinah answered in exasperation.

{All right, mind on the mission… Dinah, go, Oracle instructed.

{Cool,} the blonde teenager said happily.

"What about me?" Huntress asked.

{Keep an eye on her, if she gets hurt, I'll kick your ass.}

"Why?"

{You are mentoring her, so do it well.}

"All right." Huntress looked down and watched the blonde fight. She put her hand on her ear. "Kick them harder! You fight like a girl."

{I am a girl, genius,} Dinah grunted.

"Really?"

{Huntress…} Oracle warned.

"Ouch…" Helen winced when she saw a man connect a blow to Dinah jaw. "That hurt."

{You are supposed to help her.} Oracle said.

"I am helping. Maybe I can go to Macy's before I go back home."

{Why?}

"Dinah will need a lot of make up to cover the bruise on her face after the blow she just got."

{You are so funny,} Dinah growled, annoyed, after receive another hard blow. {You should warn me!}

"Okay, fifteen thugs to your right." Huntress frowned, looking at the next block. Several men were running towards Dinah, who had already had won the battle against the original men she was fighting.

{What?} the teenager exclaimed, surprised.

"Some friends are joining the party," Huntress crossed her arms over the edge of the building. "Move it, Kid, you are in trouble."

{Oh, damn.}

Dinah extended her hand and pushed back the first two men who were running toward her. She turned and took an empty trash can, throwing it at the next men coming.

She kicked one of the thugs and he stumbled back against another.

{Nice move.} Huntress said.

"Shut up." The blonde growled, banging together the heads of two thugs.

One of the thugs hit her in her knee with a stick and she cried out, falling to the ground. Rolling over, she avoided a stick against her head. She stood up and jumped back. Some of them were circling her.

"Aren't you going to help?" she asked Huntress over the comms. She was scared that she couldn't handle so many men at the same time.

{Why? The fun is just starting.} the brunette answered, chuckling.

"Good evening." A voice was heard and, out of nowhere, a black shadow swooped threateningly to the ground.

"Oh shit!" one of the men shouted.

Dinah, amazed, watched a big bat falling on the men circling her. She blinked. The dark figure was like a hurricane, it began to hit and punch the criminals. The shadow rolled and, suddenly, was at her side.

"Need a hand?"

Dinah was surprised. It was her mentor dressed as a bat, with cape and cowl. She knew she had been Batgirl, but she never imagined seeing her in action. "Bar…?"

{Batgirl, kid, Batgirl, remember to use code names.} Huntress interrupted.

"Come on," the redhead said, smiling. "We have work to do."

Dinah smiled back and nodded. Batgirl jumped towards the thugs and knocked one out with a punch to the head. Dinah pushed back another one with her telekinesis.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man…" Huntress said, crossing her arms on the edge of the building and resting her cheek on her chin. Barbara was sexy as hell. She had her drooling, she was an incredible fighter and she moved like a tornado. The thugs didn't see her coming. Gymnastics really had helped her to develop a unique technique. Her long red hair was like a wildfire.

"Batgirl, you are amazing," she said. "Will you marry me?"

{Sorry, I'm taken.}

"No problem, I'm not jealous. Who is the lucky one?"

{My work.}

"I can live with that. Watch your back." She whistled, watching a fast turn and a hard kick that Batgirl used to knock out a thug. "That was good."

{Why don't you come down here and help?} Dinah grunted in her mic.

"Nah, I'm letting Batgirl have fun." She noticed a man connecting a hard slap to the teenager's face. "I just found some cool make up that will cover bruises like that one. It's at Macy's."

{You are very useful.} Batgirl said.

"Anytime."

After a few minutes of hard fighting, all the men where unconscious on the ground. Batgirl exhaled loudly.

"I missed this," she said, happily extending her hands.

They heard some claps nearby. Huntress was walking toward them.

"That was a good fight. Excellent."

"Where have you been?" Dinah asked annoyed.

"Mentoring you, I was guiding you from upstairs." The brunette pointed up with her index finger. "Oracle ordered me to do that."

"Luckily, Oracle sent me to keep an eye on you two," Batgirl said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Are you telling me that I am a bad mentor?" Huntress said, with mock offense.

"Let's put it this way-- I know you." Batgirl grinned. She was a cynic and she loved it.

"Hey, you two were having all the fun!" Huntress grinned. "And it was nice to see you fighting again. You are pretty cool."

"Yes." The redhead said, looking at her costume, "I need to fix my costume. I told you it's pretty old. Some moves were hard to do."

Dinah narrowed her eyes and pointed at Huntress. "Did you know she was coming?"

"Of course, she wanted some action." The young crime fighter explained, "She comes out often to fight with me."

"I love being Oracle," Batgirl said, "but it's fun to go out sometimes and beat on the bad guys. It's always good to be in shape."

"When you were talking to us as Oracle, where were you?" Dinah asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Where was I?" the redhead asked.

"In this building," Huntress pointed behind. "She was in front of my building."

"It was a cool entrance, eh?" Batgirl said, lifting her fist. It had been four months since the shooting and she had fully recovered. It was her first fight in months and it had felt good to fly between New Gotham's buildings, breathing the fresh air of the night.

"Nah… you are copying some of my techniques." Huntress shook her head.

"I'm going to kill you both! I almost peed in my pants when I saw all those men coming at me!" Dinah growled.

"What?" the brunette crossed her arms. "Do you think we are really going to leave you alone with no backup? Are you nuts?"

"You two suck!"

Batgirl patted the blonde's back. "Come on, Dinah, don't tell me it wasn't a good fight."

Dinah extend her hands. "My life flashed before my eyes! And you... and you, were there and you knew it!"

"Don't blame at me," Huntress said, looking at Barbara. "It was her idea."

"I just wanted to surprise you," Batgirl said. "I thought you would be happy to see us."

"You two are mischievous when you are together."

"What about a pizza now?" Batgirl asked. "As I recall, Huntress ate your last slice last night, Dinah."

"I was hungry. Alfred not was there," Huntress said.

"It was my pizza," Dinah protested.

"It was bad pizza, Dinah. Promise." Huntress shook her head. "Not good at all."

"Well, whatever, I'll buy." Batgirl walked toward the corner. "Do you want a ride on the bike, Dinah?"

"She said the magic words, let's go." The brunette rubbed her hands together, following them.

"The bike?" the blonde's eyes sparkled. "Yeah!!"

"Pepperoni," Huntress said.

"Salami." Dinah corrected.

"Ham and pineapple," Batgirl replied.

"That sucks," the girls protested.

"I'm buying, I choose… and besides… I'm the oldest superhero, remember?" The redhead glared at the brunette.

"Uh…" Huntress mumbled.

"I heard what you said to Dinah.". Batgirl put an arm around the blonde.

"I was joking."

"Ham and pineapple," Batgirl insisted.

"I protest," the brunette growled.

"You shut up." The redhead lifted her index finger in warning.

Dinah smiled, knowing she had found a new family.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dinah is doing well," Barbara said, walking by the sidewalk of the Foundation building toward the park in front of it. It was a bright and sunny day.

"Yes, she looks like a nerd, but she's cool," Helena said, putting a peanut in her mouth. It was a perfect day to spend with Barbara at the park.

"Helena…" the redhead warned.

"Well, I'm just saying."

"Be nice."

"I'm being nice. I took her to school today and…" she lifted two paper bags, "I invited you to lunch. deli -- your favorite."

"I trust your choices about deli." Barbara looked both ways before crossing the street, followed by Helena.

"What do you prefer?" Helena asked, giving Barbara a paper bag with her lunch. The park was a nice place with a big field and trees surrounding it. "Trees or benches?"

"I like trees."

"Barbara?"

The redhead turned her head when she heard her name.

"Dick?"

"Dick?" Helena felt all the hairs on her skin rising.

From out of nowhere, the tall man arrived and hugged the redhead, turning some circles with her.

"I'm so happy to see you." He laughed. "Carol told me I would find you here."

"Hey," Barbara laughed. "I'm so happy to see you, too."

He set her on the ground and gave her an enthusiastic kiss on her lips.

Helena felt her blood burn in her veins.

"You look amazing as always," he said. "I have missed you so much." He took a step back and extended his hand to the brunette. "Hi Helena, how are you?"

"Fine." She gave him a forced smile and shook his hand. He had just screwed her perfect day at the park with Barbara.

"How many girls are after you now?" He punched her playfully on her shoulder. "I missed you, I always have fun with you. We had great adventures."

Barbara crossed her arms and looked at her. "I'll love to hear about it. Helena never told me about you having fun with her."

"He is joking." Helena waved her hand dismissively

"Well, let me explain," he put his hand in his pant pockets, "I rescued her every time she had trouble when two or three of her girlfriends were at the same place at the same time."

Helena grunted clearing her throat.

Barbara cocked her head toward the brunette. "I see now why she never told me about the two of you."

He laughed hard. "It was fun. Hey Helena, remember that night that two of your girls almost caught you with your girlfriend… what was her name? Ashlee? Remember?"

"Ashlee? I never heard about an Ashlee, I heard about a Francis," The redhead remarked, arching her brow at him.

"No, that was not her girlfriend. She was just one of her chicks," Dick explained. "Ashlee is, she is really hot, as I remember. She was a cheerleader of a professional football team, right?" He looked at the brunette, who smiled nervously.

"Ohh… I get it…" Barbara nodded her head and stared at the brunette. "Now I understand your interest in watching all the Oakland Raiders games last season."

Helena wanted the earth to open up and swallow her up.. or Dick.. whatever, the important was that it swallowed one of them.

"Yes, she is one of the Raiderettes." Dick replied. "Whoa, she is damn hot, no?"

"Yeah," Helena said. Why he couldn't just shut his mouth?

Barbara, playing her tongue inside her cheek, observed the lithe brunette. This talk was becoming very interesting. Helena had never mentioned any of this to her.

"So, Helena," the redhead asked, trying to sound amused, "Who was that girl Kathleen that called you every thirty minutes at our house? You told me you had seen her just once."

"Kath…? Oh.. she.. she was… I..That is…" the brunette babbled.

"Just once?" Dick pointed at the brunette. "You are terrible, Helena. Kathleen had Helena's undivided attention until she met Ashlee. She was one of the girls that almost caught her with Ashlee. I distracted her while Helena snuck out of a disco bar to avoid discovery. The other was Amanda, maybe you know her, she is the one of the best Muy Thai instructors at the Muay Thai Boxing & Fitness Center."

"That Amanda?" Barbara opened wide her eyes remembering she had seen her sometimes, the woman was a muscle machine.

"She is a goddess," Dick said "I have to admit she is damn lucky and has a good taste in girls." He patted Helena's back. "It's a shame Ashlee moved out of the city, she rocked."

"Yeah," Helena said, coughing and wondering if she should kill him slowly or make it quick. "A shame."

"But I have a surprise for you."

Helena had the feeling that she was not going to like this…

"Look who's here." He waved his hand.

Barbara blinked. On the other side of the street was a tall, and really beautiful, brunette with long hair and stunning blue eyes.

"Helena!" the woman shouted, smiling.

"Come here!" Dick waved his hand.

'Earth,swallow me up,´ Helena thought, recognizing the girl immediately.

Barbara eyed the woman. She really was a "Hawaiian Tropic" model, with her indecent mini skirt and her tight blouse. Six or seven heads turned to look at her.

"Is that the cheerleader?" she asked Dick, coldly.

"Yep. That's Ashlee," he said. "I found her in the airport and convinced her to come with me and visit Helena."

The woman gave Helena an enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, Helena, I missed you!"

"Yes, me too." The brunette tried to figure out how get out of this mess. She noticed Barbara's gaze on her. Barbara looked like she wanted to kill her.

"I always think of you and I was dying to see you again." Ashlee grinned.

"Barbara, this is Ashlee," Dick said. "Ashlee, this is Barbara, Helena's former guardian."

"Hi, Miss Gordon," the woman enthusiastically shook her hand, "I have read a lot about you, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, thanks," the redhead said, wondering if her boobs were natural or silicon.

"Your work is wonderful. Helena told me about it and I convinced the Oakland Raiders team to give you a donation."

"Yes, I remember that." Barbara nodded with her head and buried her eyes on the brunette. "But Helena never told me that you helped us to get those funds… Why Helena? That was a nice gesture by Ashlee... Ashlee is your name right?"

"Yes."

"Well… I…" Helena coughed to clear her throat.

"She is an amazing girl." Ashlee moved an arm around Helena's back. "That's the reason I love her so much, not to mention the fact that she is damn sexy. Right, Marshmallow?"

Barbara blinked hearing that nickname.

"She calls me that…" Helena blushed, trying to apologize.

"I have an idea," Barbara said suddenly. "We can go to dinner at this new restaurant that just opened a few blocks from here and, later, we can go dancing."

"That sounds terrific," Dick agreed, "What do you say, Helena?"

"I don't know if Ashlee…" the brunette began.

"I'd love to go!" Ashlee said, kissing the brunette's cheek. "Come on, Marshmallow."

"Yes, Marshmallow," Barbara crossed her arms over her chest, "be nice to your guest, don't disappoint her. She has been very nice to you."

"It's done, we'll go there tonight." Dick rubbed his hands. "Look, I promised to take Ashlee to her home, knowing you are always busy, Barbara, so I'll take her, I'll do some errands and I can pick you up at eight. Is that okay?"

"Excellent," Barbara nodded.

"Good, I'll see you then, love." Dick moved forward to give Barbara a light kiss, but she put her hand on the back of his neck, giving him an intense kiss.

Helena squeezed her fist, annoyed. Why did Dick always have to be so spontaneous with Barbara? It was not enough to just shake her hand? Suddenly, she felt Ashlee's lips on hers.

"See you later, Marshmallow," the woman said, giving her a playful smack on her ass.

Dick and Ashlee waved their hands and crossed the street.

Barbara watched them go, biting her lower lip in thought.

Helena scratched her ear nervously -- that had been a really embarrassment moment.

"So, are you hungry, Marshmallow?" the red head asked, arching a brow at the brunette

Helena winced. This didn't look good. It seemed Barbara was no longer in a good mood. "Barbara, I…"

"Kathleen? Amanda? Ashlee? You never told me about your harem."

"Look, it's not what you think…" Helena shook her head.

"I see the gossip columns weren't lying about you."

"They exaggerated a bit." The brunette smiled nervously.

"How was the sex? Rough? Maybe a threesome?"

Helena waved her hands in front of her. "No, no…"

"Keep your explanations for Ashlee, I'm not interested." Barbara gave her the paper bag with her lunch and turned, walking quickly to the corner to cross the street and go back to her office.

"Barbara? What's…?" Helena called out.

"I'll see you tonight," the redhead yelled, not turning to look at her.

Helena lifted her arms. Great, just great. Wonder asshole had appeared at the worst possible moment with his big mouth. Surely Barbara was now angry because she hadn't told her everything about all her girlfriends. Helena always told her the gossips columns were exaggerating, but how was she supposed to tell her that all of it was true?

Well… she was done. She just hoped not to find any other of her hidden girlfriends tonight with Ashlee. She gave the bags of food to a woman who fed doves on a bench and walked down street.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTNUED


	22. Free night

-----------------------------------------------------------

"I don't see why you are so worried," Dinah said, crossing her fingers over her stomach. She was lying on Helena's bed at her apartment above the Dark Horse bar. "You've always had many girlfriends and Barbara knew about it."

"I know that she knows, but she never knew so many details. That is not good," Helena explained, taking a blouse from her closet and looking for another item.

"Why is it so bad?"

"Because…." Helena frowned, "because… it's bad." She turned to see the teen lying on her bed. "Why am I giving you explanations?"

"No idea."

Helena rolled her eyes and turned to her closet to look for a nice skirt. "Remind me why I invited you to my place?"

"I think you were drunk."

Helena glared at her.

"What? Do you prefer me to tell you that you like to be nice to me?"

"Right…You are right, I was drunk."

"So, Barbara was angry when she heard about your one thousand girlfriends?"

"Angry, no. Pissed."

"That is good, no?" Dinah sat on the bed and crossed her legs.

"Good? How could it be good?" the brunette protested.

"It means she could be jealous."

"Jealous?" Helena laughed, taking a skirt from her closet- it was perfect. "Are you kidding? She is angry because now she knows I hide many things from her."

"I don't think she is angry about it. She came home in a real bad mood. She closed her bedroom door so hard that I thought she had broken it. She must be jealous."

"Yeah, and I'm blonde." Helena put the clothes on the bed and looked at them. Yeah, the combination was perfect. "She is angry because she hates when I hide things from her."

"How could you call that piece of fabric, a skirt?" Dinah asked, looking the skirt her friend had chosen.

"It's cool." The brunette turned to look for shoes.

"I don't understand," the blonde continued, cocking her head. "Why don't you just tell her that you love her?"

"I don't want her to kick my ass."

"She always does it, once more will not hurt. I don't think she'd kick you. I think she loves you too."

The dark haired woman put her index finger on her chin, looking at her shoes. "I know her much better than you, I think you are wrong."

"Haven't you noticed how she looks at you?"

"When? When I don't follow her orders? When I don't want to go to one of her boring events? Or when she is angry with me?" the brunette chose a pair of shoes.

"Oh come on, Helena, you can't be that blind! Why don't you try opening your heart to her?"

"I'm not going to discuss my private life with you, kid." Helena put her shoes next to the clothes.

"I'm not discussing, I'm suggesting. You must do it. You two have played a back and forth game of flirting for so long, that neither of you can see that you are in love."

Helena put her hands on her hips and glared at the teen. "Dinah, you don't know her."

"I know what I see."

The brunette sighed. She didn't want to be rude with the kid. After all, without her, Barbara would be dead. She lowered her head. "Dinah… I told her once. I hurt her a lot; she felt she had failed my mom, me… She felt guilty for the feelings she had awakened in me. I don't want to hurt her once more. I love her too much for that."

Dinah blinked. "When was that?"

"I was seventeen."

"Helena, you are now 23! It was six years ago! I'm sure she loves you as much as you love her!"

"No Dinah, no! I'm not going to hurt her again with that!" Helena shook her head "She was afraid to touch me, to be nice to me, thinking she would encourage me to love her. She was cold and distant so long… I don't want that."

The teenager shook her head. "I still think she is as afraid as you to open her heart."

"You are still too young to know about love." Helena clapped her hands. "Now, out of my bedroom, I need to change."

"All right, all right." Dinah jumped off of the bed. "But I bet you one hundred dollars that she loves you. Cancel that date with that Ashlee and go for Barbara."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

*****************

The restaurant was gorgeous, the dinner excellent. Barbara seemed to be very relaxed and was making jokes. The bad part was that she was being disgustingly affectionate with Dick, who, of course, was being very nice to her, too.

Barbara was also paying too much attention to Ashlee and was very friendly with her, which was dangerous. She talked about her job as cheerleader, her routine in gymnastics-- topics that Barbara knew very well.

"So," Barbara said, resting her elbow on Dick's shoulder, "How did you meet Helena?"

"Well she found me." Ashlee said, "I was with some friends in a disco and she introduced herself to me."

"Yes, she is not a shy person," the redhead said, sipping a glass of wine.

"Of course not," Ashlee moved her hand under the table and squeezed Helena's dawn break at my place."

"Oh…" Barbara nodded.

"It's a cool place," Helena hurried to say. "She told me that watching the sunrise in her place was amazing, so after leaving the disco late, I went to see it and it was true. It's amazing."

"Of course, we didn't see much of it, but it was fun. Helena is not a fan of slow dates, she loves action," Ashlee said, moving her hand up Helena's leg and touching her crotch.

The brunette, feeling the contact, pushed back her chair and stood up suddenly, spilling her glass of wine all over the table. All of them looked at her in surprise.

"Something wrong?" Dick asked.

"No… just… I just," Helena babbled, moving her hand to her right leg, "…just felt a cramp in my leg."

"Ohhh, my poor baby." Ashlee said, helping her to clean the wine off her pants.

"Wanna a hand?" Dick asked standing up.

"Baby…" Barbara grumbled to herself.

"No, no, I'll be fine, don't worry," the young woman insisted, slowly returning to her chair.

"Come here." Ashlee moved an arm behind Helena's back and scratched her scalp. "Let me make you feel good. I still remember you love this."

"Like a good cat." The redhead offered a forced smile to her protégé.

"What if we go to the bar now?" Helena hurried to say.

"Sure." Dick waved a hand and asked the waiter for the bill. He took Barbara's hand, distractedly, between his. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes," Barbara turned, smiling at him "Have you forgotten how much we enjoyed dancing on the weekends?" She gave him a soft kiss on his lips.

"Never. Those were crazy nights."

Crazy nights? Helena thought to herself, this was a fucking crazy night. Anything else would be a damn walk in the park.

*************

They walked inside the big bar. The place was spectacular, the decoration incredible and the music nice. It didn't take much to get inside, the doorman recognized Helena immediately and let them in. Many people and some waitress greeted Helena as she walked inside.

Barbara couldn't keep her eyes off of the lithe brunette, nor could she avoid the twinge of jealousy invading her. She was wearing a really breathtaking short dress with no back that left visible a part of a tattoo that she had on her lower back. The tall cheerleader seemed to have noticed it, too, and she couldn't keep her hands away from her, touching her bare skin, soft and smooth. She had to recognize that Helena didn't have bad taste in girls. All the girlfriends she had met had been gorgeous. Ashlee was no exception, with long black hair falling over her back; white skin that made her blue eyes look more intense, her body was incredible, now wrapped in tight black pants and an indecent black top that let her show her firm stomach.

"Seems you are popular," Dick said to the brunette.

"Sometimes I come here." Helena smiled. She knew she needed to be more confident and not be so nervous in front of Barbara. After all, she didn't know about her feelings and she was beginning to realize that she would never be some Barbara's choice. The redhead was pasted to Dick.

"Miss Kyle, nice to see you." The manager of the place appeared in front of them asked, "Do you want your usual table?"

"Yes, please."

"Sometimes?" Barbara murmured drolly.

"The price of popularity." Helena chirped brightly, ignoring Barbara's sarcastic comment. She took Ashlee's hand and pulled her behind her.

Barbara heard herself sigh. She squeezed Dick's hand and followed them.

The table was in the VIP zone. It had two comfortable couches on a main level where they could see the entire dance floor. The place was full of people talking and dancing around.

Helena greeted some friends and presented Ashlee as her date. She noticed that Barbara made some heads turn when she walked toward her place. Helena wished she could be the one holding Barbara's hand and not Dick. But, well, she needed to start to move her heart toward other interests. Well, she had been trying to do it, but it seemed her heart was obstinate in keeping glued to Barbara.

She noticed the redhead went toward the dance floor with Dick. She asked the waitress for a bottle and walked toward the dance floor with her partner. The music playing was her favorite.

She moved her body at the music's rhythm and let her mind get lost in the song lyrics.

When they felt tired, Helena and Ashlee returned to their seat. The brunette noticed she would have to sit next to Barbara and couldn't suppress a_ nervous feeling. Since when did Barbara wear dresses that were so tight and so short? She looked damn sexy and was simply stunning in that outfit. _

Almost immediately, a waitress put some wine glasses on the table.

"Your favorite, _1998 Clos des Goisses," the manager said._

_"I'd like some tonic," Barbara said._

_"Sure. " He snapped his fingers at a waitress._

_"Hey, Helena you really have a good taste in champagnes," Dick noted._

_"My _marshmallow loves the best," Ashlee purred, sitting close to Helena. The movement made Helena twitch a bit to her side and her thigh touched involuntary Barbara's thigh. She couldn't suppress a shiver. The redhead did not seem to notice it, she had her arm locked with Dick's and was watching a waitress pouring her tonic in a glass.

_"A toast." Dick said, extending his hand, "It's a pleasure be with all of you, I hope this is not the last time we go out together."_

_"Yes, for a lovely night." Barbara smiled, lifting her glass._

_"For the pleasure of being with my dear Helena again," Ashlee said, planting a soft kiss on Helena's cheek._

_"When do you meet?" Barbara asked curiously._

_"Two years ago," Ashlee said, "There was a game between Oakland Raiders and the Gotham Tigers. I came as a cheerleader and I was in a night club having fun with some of my companions when Helena introduced herself. She was so funny and charming." She looked at the brunette in her eyes. "I loved her."_

_"I was trying to meet one of her friends, Lucy. Remember her?" _A blissful smile stretched across Helena's features as she moved_ an arm behind the other woman's back._

_"Lucy? Oh yes, she is hot." Ashlee nodded._

_"And suddenly I was there," the brunette grinned "between all those gorgeous cheerleaders. Then Ashlee invited me for a drink."_

_"It was a wonderful night." Ashlee took Helena's hand in her own. "She is fantastic... She is incredible in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, I had to move out the city because of my work and I lost contact with Helena over the last seven months."_

_"No one sent an e-mails?" Dick asked curiously._

_"Helena is not a big fan of the internet," Barbara explained. "It seems she has some kind of issue with computers."_

_"Yes, and any other electronic equipment," the brunette added._

_"And you? How long have you been together?" Ashlee asked them, drinking her wine._

_Barbara smiled, moving closer to Dick. "We had known each other for years, but we don't see each other frequently…"_

_"Yes," Helena interrupted, thinking aloud, "he often forgets you exist."_

_Dick blushed furiously. "Well… I travel so much and…"_

_Barbara glared at the brunette. "Yes, we each have our own occupations, but every time we are together we enjoy each moment."_

_"Yeah," Helena nodded with sarcasm, remembering all the days she had seen the redhead cry over him when he'd just left. Every time she thought about it, she was angry at him. She hated every tear the older woman had cried for him._

_"Well…" Barbara tried to excuse him, "sometimes he has been really busy, as have I."_

_Why did Barbara insist upon defending that asshole? He had forgotten her for years. How could she…? Helena would never do that to her. She shook her head._

_"Maybe it's better," Ashlee said, suddenly. "Some couples are bored when they are always together and they break up. Helena and I always try to find different things in our relationship."_

_"Maybe visiting new places? Doing different things?" Dick asked._

_"No…" Ashlee smiled. "Trying to find new levels in our relationship."_

_"I don't understand." Barbara arched her brow._

_"Barbara, don't…" Helena warned, knowing Ashlee was a free spirit with no inhibitions._

_"Well, for example," the woman started, looking at Helena "do you r_emember the time we had a threesome?"

_Barbara almost choked on her water. _

_Helena__ closed her eyes for a brief second. Shit. Why did she always have to give that example?_

_The redhead fixed her eyes on the brunette._

_"You asked. I tried to tell you not to ask," Helena defended herself._

"Come on, Helena, you've never been shy," Dick added, moving and arm behind Barbara's back.

"It's not shyness, it's…"

"It's a different experience," Ashlee explained confidently, resting against Helena's shoulder. "It's about women exploring women. A woman knows what another woman wants. It's a kind of subliminal dance where you can use your hands and the movements of your body as a way to express your deepest feelings. You can open your soul and take it to another level."

Barbara sipped a bit of her tonic. Suddenly, she felt warm imaging how Helena's nude body between two women. It must be like a wave of the ocean, moving slowly, but with the rhythm of her own nature. She felt uncomfortable under her own thought, but at the same time she found it exciting.

"Helena is a tiger in bed," Ashlee said. She moved her hand over Helena's bare thigh and began to rub it slowly. "Isn't that true, tiger?"

The brunette didn't have any another option, so she nodded.

The movement of the woman's hand on the brunettes' leg caught Barbara's eye.

"And…" the redhead cleared her throat, "Did you feel jealous? Is it nice to share your partner with someone else? Someone you don't know?"

"It's not a love thing," Ashlee elaborated. "It's a way for you to find and break your own inhibitions. It's a way to let your wild side surge, to be alive, breathe. At the end, you feel… different, free."

"I'd like to try that some day, but I'm not sure Barbara would," Dick said.

_The redhead turned her head to look at him; she didn't want to be considered a boring person. _

_"Dick, I'm not a closed minded person."_

_"I know, but I know you that you have some principles that you don't break."_

"Come on, Barbara," Helena grinned in amusement. "You have strong principles that will never break, they're like your bible. It would be impossible for you to…"

"I don't have 'unbreakable principles," Barbara shot back irritably. "I can go beyond what everyone could imagine and you know that pretty well," she said, referring to her dark and dangerous life as Batgirl. "No one could ever risk what I risk in my life."

"You risk many things, Barbara," Helena waved her hands, "but you risk it because it's in your circle of possibilities, you never go outside the circle."

"What?"

"You always think before you act, we know that. You don't go forward if the amazing gears of your brain don't first process the information and tell you all the possibilities, positive things and negative things about something. You are very predictable."

Ashlee suddenly stood up. "That song, I love that song! Let's dance, Helena!"

The brunette winced. "I'm not a 'salsa fan, you know?"

"Oh, come on, let's go dance!" Ashlee took her hand.

"Would you mind if I ask your girlfriend to dance with me for this one?" Dick interrupted.

"Of course not, go." Helena waved her hand.

"Barbara?" he looked questioningly at the redhead.

"Go ahead, I don't mind," the crimefighter said.

"You are a gentleman." Ashlee extended her hand to him. He took it and walked through the crowd to the dance floor.

Barbara crossed her arms and turned her head to the young brunette. "I can be as unexpected as any person in this world."

"Of course not," Helena laughed. Se couldn't believe Barbara was so obstinate on that.

"I can."

"Look," she began to tick off items on her fingers, " you used to be a librarian, a librarian, get it? S_econd, _you were congresswoman; third, you are the head of the biggest charitable foundation in the country; fourth, you're Commissioner Gordon's daughter. Every man in this country dreams of you as the perfect wife and women dream of you as the perfect partner. Loyal, responsible and sweet. You are beyond any bad reputation, your image is immaculate. No one would believe that you could be involved in any scandal."

"You don't know me, Helena Kyle." The redhead was deeply offended. She could be as bad as any person in the world. "I can be foul, crude, offensive, foul-mouthed, indecent, rude."

"You? Come on!" the brunette smirked, pouring champagne into her cup. Barbara's attempts to sound like 'bad girl' were funny.

"I can do things you could never imagine."

"Oh, I see," Helena sipped her cup of champagne and looked toward the dance floor. Ashlee was having a good time dancing with Dick. "Your secret personality is being a foul-mouthed, indecent girl."

That was enough, Helena had crossed the line. "Do you think you are the only one that is unpredictable?"

_"_It's just not your nature_," Helena sang, letting her cup on the table._

_"_I resent that. I'm just as broody and romantically kinky as you are.""Okay," Helena scoffed, shaking her head in amusement.

The redhead unexpectedly leaned close the brunette, her lips almost brushing her ear. Helena couldn't suppress a shiver when she felt Barbara's warm breath on her skin. She froze in her place.

"Imagine you are on a roof top," Barbara whispered on her ear. "You are alone, covered by the black night. You are looking down, streets are full of people, cars, the wind is cold, you are the guardian of the city, the city is your little child. You feel your power, it's strong, no one is stronger than you. Suddenly, you sense you are not alone, someone else is with you. You turn and see Batgirl."

What was going on with her? The brunette moved her head a few inches to her left, toward Barbara, but found Barbara's face so close to her that she could smell her soft perfume and see the fines hair of her cheek. A shiver ran through her body.

"I walk toward you slowly," the redhead said in a low voice, "you don't know what I'm doing here. You ask, but I just keep walking toward you. You step back, you can't figure out what's going on and you find that the wall of the emergency exit stops you. I move closer, you lift your hand to question and suddenly find your wrist trapped under my fingers, there's a strong grip on your hand. You still don't understand what's happening when I cuff your hand behind you to one side of the fire escape ladder. You are angry, and when you try to free your hand, I grab your fist in my hand and trap it against the opposite side of the ladder. You are mine now… and you know it."

"Barbara…" Helena mumbled, clearing her throat, she was starting to feel nervous, Barbara was acting weird.

"Shhh…" green eyes found stunned blue ones. "I'm talking, I hate to be interrupted."

"You are angry, trying to free yourself, but you can't."

The older woman moved closer, so damn close that Helena could almost feel the fine hairs of her cheeks against her and she gasped, softly.

"I know your weakness, Helena, you can't fight me, I know you much better than anyone. You are helpless before me and you know it. I let my hands rest against your trapped wrist and, before you can say a word, I trap your lips. They are soft and I use my use my tongue to tease and flick at the corner of your mouth, encouraging you to open it. You feel your air is gone. I'm not asking for entrance, I'm demanding, taking… I'm taking what I want."

The back of Barbara's hand traced the brunette's arm up and down, not touching, but so close that Helena could feel the hairs of her skin rise. Was Barbara serious? Confused, she didn't know what to say or how to react. She looked with panic toward the dance floor, but, thankfully. Ashlee and Dick were dancing far away.

"My fingers slide smoothly up your arms, then across until I cup your firm breasts in my hands."

Barbara's finger stopped touching her arm at the level of her breast. The brunette swallowed, feeling her mouth dry. Was she going to…?

"You try to stop me, to pull away but you can't, you are my prey."

Barbara's lips were so close her that she could feel her warm breath, her heat began to beat fast. She was sure she would feel Barbara's mouth against her skin.

And she wanted it.

"You can feel yourself falling away and losing control. You moan and open your mouth slightly, you are lost. I'm in, tasting, caressing. You are mine." Barbara moved back a few inches, looking into Helena's glowing eyes again. It was clear the brunette had no idea what was she doing, but was totally excited.

The redhead smirked almost imperceptively, her pupils fixed on the brunette's lips. Helena, motionless, was trapped by those green eyes, noticing where they were looking. She gasped, feeling as if the air had emptied from her lungs.

"My gloves annoy me. I remove them and let my hands enjoy the feeling of your firm abdomen. I move slowly, tracing each muscle under your skin. Your clothes hinder me. I want to touch you. " Barbara looked at Helena in her eyes. "Do you know what I do now?"

The brunette shook her head. Barbara smiled open and moved forward. For a second, Helena thought she was going to kiss her, but, no, she moved her mouth close her ear and whispered, "I rip off your black blouse and I let my hands touch your breasts. I press my fingers hard, I enjoy the feeling of you under my hands. I can't stop. I stop kissing you and my mouth envelopes one of your breasts and I suck hard. It feels so good, I want more. Do you want more?"

Helena closed her eyes, Barbara's long hair was caressing her cheeks. It was fire on her skin. Her voice was a Siren's call, making her clit throb hard. The redhead was making her crazy.

"You are topless, you can't move, you can't touch me, you can't prevent me from tasting, kissing, nibbling and sucking your flesh while my hands stroke your ribcage. The cold air sends chills to your skin. I move between your legs, pressing my thigh against your core. I let my hands slide down your buttocks, raking my mails on your skin as they journey down."

Helena crossed her legs slowly, trying to calm the ache between her legs.

"I'm lost tasting your skin," the redhead mumbled "I kiss the surrounding flesh of your breast while my tongue toys with your nipple. You are desperate, you want to touch me, but you can't. You pull on your hands, but you are chained to that ladder. The world spins out of control, you don't care if someone sees you, you don't care if the world explodes, you just want more… like me. Do you know what I do now?"

"N… n…no…" It had never been so hard to pronounce a word in her entire damn life.

"I kiss you again, my tongue conquers your mouth. I control you and I press my thigh harder between your legs. Your pants are in my way. My hand moves lower and stops at your button, it opens easily and, suddenly, the sound of your zipper lowering fills the cold night… But I want to know your taste, I want to touch you, I want to be inside you, I want you to be mine, I want to hear you screaming my name, begging for more. My hand easily slides inside you."

The brunette never thought she could be so close to an orgasm just from listening to someone talk. She was sweating.

She noticed Barbara's fingers on her hand. They sent electric chills, then moved back and took the champagne glass that was in Helena's hand. Barbara moved back and slowly licked her lips, taking her time. Helena's pupils had changed to a light yellow, glowing and following the movement of the redhead's tongue. She wanted so much kiss her, taste that mouth. Take it.

Barbara smiled and moved back to her place, crossing her legs. She moved an arm around her own waist and with the champagne cup with the other, she watched the people dancing.

Helena stared at her for long seconds in silence, expectantly, feeling excited and hot, but the redhead seemed to be distracted by something on the dance floor.

"Barbara?" she said in a rough voice.

"Tell me…" Barbara answered with that damn sensual voice that sent her libido skyrocketing.

The brunette couldn't find any words and just stared at her.

"Do you want more?"

Helena stopped breathing for a short second and opened her mouth, slightly dumb.

"Well, I expect you are convinced that I can be as naughty as anyone," Barbara said, sipping her champagne. She let her tongue softly trace softly the mark from Helena's lipstick on the rim of the glass.

Helena swallowed. "I can be dark, no?" Green eyes looked at the brunette. She was pleased to see her young friend's eyes weren't lying. She'd had a big effect on her. Her narrative skills were still magnificent.

"Well… eh…I…" Helena licked her lips. Her mind was trapped behind a wall of desire, clouding her senses. Maybe she could kidnap Barbara, and take her. _She thought Barbara was soft, sweet, delicate. This other side of her was intriguing and… made her feel excited. She imagined being tied to a bed, Barbara's long, elegant hands moving under her underwear to touch and explore her hidden places, while her mouth took possession of her chest, exploring, demanding. She was hot as hell. She wanted to push everybody back and jump on the redhead to ravage her._

_"This dance was great," Dick's voice interrupted her thoughts "Want to dance Barbara?"_

_"Sure." The redhead nodded. She stood up and, with no warning, she wrapped her arms around Dick's neck and kissed him. _

_The brunette couldn't take her eyes off the redhead. Barbara was practically eating the man alive. She wanted to kick him out of the way and kiss the older woman, she wanted to be the one encircling her waist and tasting those wonderful lips._

_The redhead took Dick's hand and pulled him to the dance floor._

_"Hello, Marshmallow." Helena felt Ashlee's arms wrapping around her. "Want to dance with me now?"_

_"… Yes… yes…" she mumbled, still stunned. She couldn't remove her gaze from Barbara. She had been taunting her but… was she serious?_

_She moved into the crowd and took her date to a place where she could keep an eye on the redhead. She moved behind Ashlee and wrapped her arms around the woman. _

_The redhead had left her hot and wet. She pressed her body against the back of the woman she had in her arms. She couldn't open her eyes, she couldn't suppress the thought of imaging that the woman dancing with her was not Ashlee, it was Barbara. _

_She could smell her shampoo in the soft hair. Her lips moved forward and nibbled her earlobe. Her hands moved slowly, she was touching Barbara, her finger tips caressed her firm abs, her soft skin. She wanted just one person to be with her, be with her forever. She pressed her body tighter against the body and bit her ear gently. They began to move with sinuous movements that didn't leave anything to the imagination._

_Barbara's eyes caught Helena's dance as she rested her head on Dick's shoulder. Helena moved slowly, with the music, like a cat rubbing against its mate; the brunette was immersed in the rhythm of the music, kissing the other woman's neck. Her movements were so erotic, it was as if she was making love to the woman._

_She found herself suddenly warm. Her body ached to touch the brunette, to feel her that close. She transported herself to Ashlee's place. Suddenly, she was the woman dancing with the dark haired woman. She felt her small hands on her waist, the sensation of her breast rubbing against her back sent shivers to her spine. She could feel Helena's warm breath against her neck, feel her warm lips kissing her neck._

Ashlee turned and trapped Helena's lips with hers and gave her an open mouthed, hard kiss. Her leg pressed into Helena's core through her skirt. She rested her head on her shoulder. It seemed Ashlee knew what she wanted, to ease the fire inside her. Barbara could never love her back, she was frustrated, angry, desperate for release.

"You like this?" Ashlee mumbled, biting the dark haired woman's earlobe.

"Yeah." Helena mumbled, enjoying the movement of the other woman's hand on her.

"It's been so long… I want you… What if we go to somewhere else?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Ashlee gently nibbled her lower lip, "and then, I could touch your skin, trace your body slowly with my fingers…"

Helena half opened her eyes and looked at her with cloudy eyes. "Sounds great."

"So… can we go now?"

"Yeah."

_______________________________

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	23. Revenge

---------------------

The next Monday, Barbara was in the Clock Tower library packing her briefcase before going to work at the Foundation. She couldn't escape the image of Helena's golden cat eyes buried on her when she had teased her. She knew Helena's eyes changed when she was angry, in a fight or excited.

She smiled, pleased that she had turned on the young woman. Knowing she could produce that reaction in her young friend was something she never expected. But… she knew Helena had commitment problems, she was not a 'one girl' woman.

A hand appeared in her line of sight, leaving a rose on the pile of papers in front of her. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard Helena walk into the library. She lifted her brow and found a crafty look.

"And…" Barbara took the delicate flower between her fingers, "this is for…?"

"I just wanted to give it to you, I know you like roses." Helena rested her hip on the desk.

"Oh, well… thanks, it's nice." The gesture surprised her.

"So… How is your day?"

"Well, I have a few meetings and some appointments. I may be late," she explained, closing her suitcase.

"Are you not going with us to patrol?"

"Probably not tonight, but I'll be here in time to keep an eye on you two as Oracle."

"All right." Helena fixed her eyes on the other woman.

"Something wrong?" Barbara asked, noticing Helena was looking at her.

"I was just thinking that you look great, that color suits you very well. See you." Helena moved back and walked out of the room.

Barbara watched her go. Now what was the brunette's thinking? She hadn't exactly been in a good mood. She couldn't stop thinking of Helena being so 'friendly' with that woman the prior Saturday. She'd seen her face when she was was dancing with 'Ashlee'. The two had left without a word, but from the way that woman was rubbing her body against Helena and kissing her, she could imagine where they had gone… and Helena had disappeared all day Sunday.

Just thinking about it had kept her awake the night before. Imagining what they were doing left the redhead angry.

She sighed and stood up to go to work.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*

Helena sat at the kitchen table with a glass of milk, she was not sure what to do, maybe Dinah was right… Barbara had flirted with her on Saturday, but she was not sure if it had been serious… it seemed as if she was joking. She had been cold.

Maybe Barbara was nervous, she had never played the flirting game so seriously, but this time she got first prize and had left Helena totally crazy for her. It had been difficult to be away from her on Sunday, but she had not been certain about coming to the Tower, maybe Barbara was with Dick and she wanted privacy.

Tapping the table with her index finger, she wondered what the next step should be. Maybe she could try again.

"You are early today, Miss Helena," Alfred said greeting her.

"Well, I couldn't sleep last night, so I was bored and came here to see what's new."

"Maybe you could try attacking the 700 television channels."

"That could work." She rested her hand on her chin and looked at the elderly butler. He would know about Babs and Dick. "How was Sunday?"

"Very calm," he said, opening the fridge. "I was at home all day, but If you are asking about Miss Barbara, I believe she spent all day with Miss Dinah, helping her with her school work."

"Oh…" she nodded. "Uh, and… him?"

"Master Dick? I don't have any idea, I haven't seen him. I thought all of you went out on Saturday vening."

"Well, yes, but I went left early and I don't know what happened."

"I see." Alfred chuckled, preparing a salad. "Maybe you could ask Miss Barbara."

"Well." Helena moved uncomfortably in her chair "I don't think that would be polite."

"Polite?"

"It's her personal life and…" she waved her hands, "she must want privacy about some things and…"

"I see." He nodded, finishing the salad and putting it inside a plastic box.

"But she talks so much to you… so…"

"Are you asking me to be a gossip?"

"Oh no, no, I was thinking more like an informant."

"To conquest a woman, you need to focus on the small details, not on asking what she does. You know her pretty well." He put the salad inside a plastic bag.

Blue eyes opened wide. "I'm not…"

"You are smart," he interrupted, giving her the plastic bag with the salad. "Maybe you could take her lunch?"

"Do you think?" Blue eyes sparkled.

"She usually eats alone or in a hurry and she loves this salad.."

"Good idea," Helena agreed, standing up and taking the bag.

"Hey," Dinah greeted, walking into the kitchen, "Where are you going?"

"To lunch," the brunette responded, walking toward the elevator.

"Really?"

"See you later."

The elevator doors closed. The teenager looked at Alfred.

"Do you think she will try to conquest Barbara?"

"Looks like it," The butler smiled.

"Oh… finally! I do not understand how those two can be so clueless."

"I'm used to it. It's part of their personality." He chuckled. "Would you like some lunch?"

"Sure!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The redhead finished sending some email. It had been a rough day. She checked her watch - almost 12. She looked to her right and noticed she still had a lot of papers to check and sign. It seemed she wouldn't have time to go out to lunch and she was starving. Maybe she could order a sandwich.

Soft knocks at her door called her attention.

"Come in," she said, taking some checks to sign.

"Hey." She couldn't hide her surprise when she saw the young brunette standing at the door, bag in hand.

"I was thinking you would be too busy to go out to lunch." Helena closed the door behind her and walked toward the table in the middle of the room. "Your favorite salad, prepared by Chef Alfred."

"Oh, that it's nice." The redhead followed all her movements, surprised. Helena never visited the foundation at this time of day.

"I brought to your favorite juice, too." The brunette tried to sound normal. She flirted with girls and with Barbara just for fun or play, but, in this case, things were different. Barbara had opened a door of hope in her heart. Maybe she liked her, but she was afraid to open her heart to her. If she showed the redhead that she loved her maybe Barbara could be brave and let her feelings flow. The young woman walked toward the small kitchen in the room next to Barbara's desk and took some plates and glasses.

"Thank you very much," Barbara said, feeling uncomfortable. She and Helena used to play games, but over the last few days, things had been changing. She felt like things were tense between them. Maybe it was affecting her – accepting that the brunette really had stolen her heart. She had seen the younger woman being very 'friendly' with Ashlee.

She suspected Helena was flirting with her, but not playing. She was serious and maybe it was her fault for trying to show her that she was not a dull person. She had seen Helena get excited by her words. Maybe the brunette thought that Barbara wanted a night of fun with her.

It was not right, she didn't want to be a just a one night stand in the woman's life. She wanted more, but… knowing Helena, it couldn't be possible.

Helena walked inside the office with plates and glasses in hand. "Come on, let's eat."

The redhead took a deep breath and stood up, she needed to try to act normal, as she used to be. She walked toward the table, "I really was starving. I have a hole in my stomach," she said, trying to joke.

"I brought an excellent dessert, too. It's a strawberry cake from a coffee shop close to here." The brunette prepared the table.

"You have good taste in desserts. I have to admit it," Barbara said, opening the bag and taking out the plastic boxes. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so nervous being alone with someone… and being alone with Helena really put her nerves on edge.

Helena looked her, she tried to think of something nice to say. She didn't understand why her mind blanked suddenly. Things usually flowed easily when she was just playing. "You must wear that blouse more often," she smiled, "it looks great on you."

She mentally smacked her forehead. That was the lamest comment she had ever made, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"You are not the only one with good fashion sense," Barbara said.

"Agreed." The brunette moved her hand forward and her fingers touched the fabric of the shirt. She let her fingers caress the redhead's skin on her stomach. Usually this movement flowed naturally, but now she was sure it had been dumb.

The contact gave Barbara butterflies. She smiled, trying to sound normal. "I'm glad you approve."

Barbara was going to sit when Helena hurried and took the chair. "Let me help," she offered, moving the chair back. She pushed it forward when Barbara sat.

"Thanks Helena." Barbara felt her body stiffen, feeling the other woman so close. Crap, she was acting like a teenager.

The brunette moved closer to her and purred in her ear: "Anytime, Red…. Mmmm, you smell wonderful."

The soft whisper made Barbara nervous. It appeared that her instinct had been correct. Helena was flirting. She cleared her throat.

The brunette put the salad in front of the redhead and smiled. At least that had been smooth. "Want some juice?" she asked.

"Oh yes… and you? Are you going to eat something?"

"Yes, my king sized ham and cheese sub." The brunette grinned happily, pouring the fruit juice in her glass.

A they began to eat, a deep silence filled the room. Barbara had never felt so uncomfortable in her whole life. Helena was trying to flirt with her and it made really nervous. Maybe it wouldn't have an effect on her if it wasn't that she really loved her. Knowing Helena was probably looking at her as her other 'friends,' was depressing.

Helena ate her sandwich, trying to find some good topic of conversation. It was weird. Usually, she always had something to talk about with Barbara, but it seemed that today, when she tried to make this lunch very nice, all her bright comments disappeared from her mind.

"And how is Ashlee?" Barbara smirked. She'd decided not to fall for this game.

Helena was suddenly tense. The redhead noticed it, but the brunette recovered very fast.

"Very well, visiting family." She took another bite of her sandwich. She didn't want talk about Ashlee. "How was Saturday? Did you have fun?"

"Great, you don't have any idea." She smiled taking a fork to eat her salad. "Dick is fabulous."

"Yeah…" Helena put her sandwich on her plate. She still wanted know about if they had been together that night. "Did… did he go home with you?"

"Of course, he was my date, no? It's the normal thing that happens when you go out with your date." Barbara pushed back a strand of her hair and looked at the brunette. "It's what you did. You went home with your girlfriend and I imagine you had a good night with her."

"I took her home." Helena sighed. It seemed the redhead was going to insist on reminding her about her date. "Just that."

"Come on," Barbara smiled, cleaning her mouth with a napkin "The Huntress left her prey alive?"

"She is not what I'm looking for," Helena explained, locking her eyes with the redhead. She wanted the older woman to understand.

The intensity of Helena's pupils on her made the redhead hesitate a second. She could see something in her eyes. She wanted so much for Helena to look at her that way, but… Surely after the game she had played on Saturday night, Helena thought she could play with her, it had been a bad decision.

Suddenly, the brunette noticed that Barbara was wearing the bracelet she had given her as a gift. She had a good excuse to touch her again, so she extended her hand forward and took her hand with a tender touch. "Hey, you are wearing the bracelet."

Barbara swallowed, Helena was touching her again. She didn't know how to respond.

Blue eyes found green. "Do you really like it?"

"It's a beautiful gift, Helena. Thanks." Barbara said softly. She noticed the brunette didn't remove her hand and her thumb was brushing the back of her hand. That single touch was making her nuts. It was warm, so gentle. She had to change the subject. "Tell me, when you will you see Ashlee again? Could we have another double date? It was fun."

The brunette moved back and took her sandwich. Barbara really screwed everything up when she tried to be closer. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"She is not my girlfriend." Why was it so hard to talk to her? She was starting to get in a bad mood. Nothing was working and Barbara seemed determined to remind her of Ashlee.

"Well, then I don't want to imagine how you behave with your girlfriend. You were really 'friendly' with your 'friend'," Barbara noted sarcastically.. Thinking of Helena spending the night with that girl pissed her off.

"Well…" Helena retorted in annoyance, "you almost ate Dick alive when you kissed him."

Barbara dropped her food on the plate and glared at the brunette. "I kiss him that way because I love him."

The brunette felt like cold water had been dumped on her. She felt hurt, confused, stupid. This was not the Barbara that had whispered to those things that had sent her flying. It was not the Barbara that had made her heart beat faster than it ever had before, that had made her dream she could touch the heavens. Her confusion turned to anger. Barbara had been playing with her that night.

"Really? You must be very needy to love an asshole that calls you once a month and sees you when 'he has time.'"

Barbara's eyes flashed with anger. She stood up and growled between clenched teeth: "Get out of here."

"The truth hurts?" the brunette smirked, pushing her sandwich away. She was not hungry anymore. She stood up and faced the redhead.

"I said, get out of here." Barbara clenched her teeth.

Helena's eyes turned feral, she walked slowly toward Barbara whose chair was close to the main window of the office. The redhead didn't hesitate and remained still, Helena didn't scare her…

The problem was that Helena moved so close to her that their bodies almost touched. She could feel the warmth of her body as feline eyes examined her carefully, almost with curiosity, for long seconds. She kept unmoving, knowing that Helena was challenging her.

The brunette moved her head forward. Barbara could feel her hot breath on her face. A shiver ran through her body.

"What are you doing?" Barbara growled, trying to control the nervousness of feeling the younger woman so close.

"Do you know what I will do to you?" Helena purred in her ear. "First, I'll lock that damn door, then push you against the table. Before you know what is happening, I'll cover your lips with my mouth, taking what's mine."

Barbara was surprised and gasped as she tried to protest, but Helena pressed her against the window and put her hands on the window at the redhead's sides, trapping her.

"Where do you think are going? Are you afraid, Barbara Gordon?" she teased her. "Are you afraid of me? About what you feel for me?""

She had no fear of Helena, she never had and never would. What was she thinking? Angry, the redhead turned her head to look at the brunette and found she was pinned by amazing golden eyes. She could feel Helena's breath on her face. Her mouth inches from her. Her presence had an effect on her that she hated. Her heart began to beat faster.

Helena's fine hearing could detect it and she smirked. It seemed her seductive techniques had effect on Barbara.

"You are so beautiful… I cover your face with my kisses." Helena closed her eyes a brief second and inhaled deeply. "You smell so good, surely I would lose control and rip your blouse off. It's not good to have so many clothes in front of you when you want to touch an amazing woman, you know?"

Barbara swallowed, lost in the brunette's hypnotic gaze, her soft murmurs dragging her closer to an unexpected warmth growing inside her.

"I let my hands touch you, hard… you can't avoid crying in pleasure. No one has ever touched you as I do."

The brunette fixed her eyes on the redhead's lips and she licked her own, slowly. "I want to taste you. I open the button of your pants and I pull them down, I'm on fire, I want to take what's mine and you are denying me. You try to escape, but I grab your wrist with one of my hands and, with my free hand, I'm in you."

Barbara swallowed and noticed Helena moved forward, very close to her. She held her breath, she was sure the woman would kiss her.

But Helena moved forward, "I take you rough and hard. I'll touch you as no one has before. You will be the queen of my kingdom, the princess of my dreams… I kiss you again, stealing the air from your lungs, your soul…"

The dark haired woman stepped back, her gaze on the redhead. She walked toward the door.

Barbara couldn't move, she was more aroused than she'd ever been, her heart was beating at high speed, the air was gone from her lungs, she couldn't think of anything to say. Watching the young woman walk so calmly toward the door, made her furious. She felt humiliated, frustrated, angry for not controlling her own emotions.

She took the flower arrangement from the table and threw it against the door at the same time that Helena closed it, slamming it hard behind her.

"Dammit!" The door opened and Carol appeared. "Everything okay, Miss Gordon?"

"Get out!" I'm not in for anyone," she said in a loud voice. "Close the door!"

The assistant obeyed immediately. Barbara Gordon in bad mood was not a good thing.

The redhead turned to look through the window. Helena had gone too far this time.

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	24. Alien chick

Alfred was cooking some waffles in the Clocktower kitchen. It was his favorite meal for breakfast.

Barbara had been training her to handle her skills and she was grateful for the incredible gift. She could help people, she could fight against crime and give people an opportunity to live in peace.

She felt happy, today was a perfect day. Well, almost perfect.

"At least, Marshmallow, you could ask your girlfriend to wear decent clothes," Barbara said walking into the kitchen.

"Don't call me Marshmallow…" Helena growled, following her.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that name is for Ashlee´s exclusive use." Barbara picked up some papers from the table and put them inside her briefcase.

The blonde took another section of the newspaper, where the hell was the crossword?

"She is not my girlfriend," Helena almost shouted, waving her hands. "Why can't you understand that? What is your problem?"

"Well," Barbara laughed ironically, resting a hand on the back of a chair and her other hand on her waist, "if she is not your girlfriend, what is she? Because every time you are with her, she can't keep her hands off of you and you are all over her, as well."

"Well," Helena mocked, crossing her arms over her chest, "Dick seems to have the same problem with you."

"Don't talk about him! He is a nice guy!"

Dinah found her crossword in the newspaper and smiled. She checked it, putting a pen on her mouth. This was a good one. She liked challenges.

"Yes, I agree," Helena smirked "very nice. 'Octopus' must be his nickname."

"And what about Ashlee's clothing.. or lack thereof?" The redhead closed her briefcase.

"Barbaraaaa." the brunette warned, she didn't like the comment. Lately, Barbara seemed to be insistent about pissing her off.

"Helenaaaa." Barbara warned back.

The blonde teenager wrote the first answer to her crossword. It had been simple to solve, but the second one was a strange definition of which she'd never heard. She chose to jump to the next clue.

"It's not my fault Ashlee is so hot!" Helena spat.

"Give her a cold shower with cold." Barbara glared at her as she put on her coat.

"I like that's she's hot!"

"Fine. You can go out with whoever you want, I'll go out with Dick!" Barbara took her bag and walked toward the elevator.

"Fine, I'll go out with Ashlee." Helena took a poptart from the table and walked toward the elevator, too.

"Good bye Dinah, Alfred.

"Goodbye." Alfred and Dinah said almost at the same time.

"Goodbye."

"Good bye Miss Helena." Alfred said.

"Have fun," Dinah said, staring at her crossword.

Barbara pressed the elevator button and the doors opened. They stepped inside and each stood on opposite walls not looking at the other. The doors closed.

Dinah wrote a new word on her crossword, it had been a hard word, but the next one was even more difficult. She couldn't complain, she was looking for a challenge.

"Is it my imagination or are those two are arguing more frequently?" she asked Alfred distractedly.

"I do not believe it is your imagination, Miss Dinah. Do you want more waffles?"

"Yes, they are great. When do you think they will realize they are in love with each other?" she asked, scratching her head, "Across: 3. Neither liquid nor gas, five letters."

"Solid," he answered putting two more waffles on her plate. "For the increased frequency of their fights, I assume it will be rather soon."

"I hope I'm not like them when I'm in love," she noted, filling in the boxes on the page.

"Me too. When they are disgusted with each other, their moods are really annoying." He put the plate close to her.

"Yes, Barbara doesn't help me with my homework and Helena doesn't let me borrow her clothes." the blonde complained.

"As I understand it, she never lets you borrow her clothes," he said, preparing a cup of tea for himself.

"Yes, but when she is in good mood, she just yells at me, when she is in bad mood she kicks my ass..."

"Oh, I see." He paused in preparing the tea and lifted his brow. "That is bad."

"Tell me about it."

--------------------------------------------------------

Helena slung her leg over the edge of the building. Se had her other leg bent and was resting her arm on it. Barbara had taken her to the edge and she still felt mocked and injured. She never had play with her in that way. She really thought Barbara would give her a chance, but she had been so cold and rude…she didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Now her dream was gone. It had been bright for a second, she had wanted to believe.

It was her fault.

The blow from reality had been hard. Barbara would never love her back.

She closed her eyes, she still could smell Barbara's shampoo, she could see Barbara's muscles tremble, hear her heart beating fast.

It had required all her effort to not kiss her but… she needed to show her that what she'd done had not been nice, she'd never had played with Barbara like that.

She thought she would be happy about her revenge, but, no, she was still sad and hurt.

She stared into the dark night and took a deep breath. It was not fair.

"I'm bored," Dinah's voice broke her thoughts.

"Yeah, me too," Helena sighed "Looks like all the bad guys are slow today."

"Must be because it's freezing." The teenager rubbed her arms.

"This is our business… to be patient, like a crocodile. To catch land animals, a crocodile floats passively or remains motionless at the edge of the water where prey habitually drink. They can stay unmoving for hours with such patience that it makes you crazy."

"Definitely you are not a crocodile."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm glad of it…. but it sounded good."

"You heard that on the nature channel, didn't you?" Dinah lifted an eyebrow.

Helena scowled.

"Can you imagine? 'I'm the crocodile, you are the prey'." Dinah laughed.

"I hadn't thought of that. You are right."

---------------------------------------------------

Barbara checked the controls at Delphi, hearing the conversation between the two young women. She still couldn't understand why Helena had become so aggressive lately.

Her finger hovered over the keyboard as she stopped typing. Suddenly, a thought hit her mind. Did Helena know her feelings for her? Was she showing her disgust? No, it couldn't be, she was not that obvious. Helena must be just trying to get revenge for the taunting that night at the bar.

She still could feel Helena's body so close to her. She couldn't avoid feeling warmth envelop her. Helena had made her as nervous as a teenager, and it pissed her off. She was used to being self controlled, her own reaction had been disconcerting.

Suddenly, the Delphi alarm called her attention. She checked her monitor.

"Disturbance close to New Gotham Department Store. The police are having trouble with… wind?"

=Wind?= Dinah asked.

"Yes, go now, keep your eyes open." The redhead resumed her typing.

=Mmm… I love dominant women.= Helena purred into the mic.

"Mind on the mission, Huntress." Oracle said coldly. After the unpleasant event two days ago, Helena had been bombarding her with innuendo, knowing it pissed her off. She was trying to make her lose control, but she was not going to fall for her game again.

She could do whatever she wanted with her life. If the brunette wanted to go out with that 'Ashlee',fine, it was fine, she was now having a good time with Dick.

=On our way. Dinah ! Huntress! Wait for me!=

"Huntress!!" Oracle shouted on the mic "Wait! We need to cover your back!"

=People like my back with no clothes, I'm sure you would love it.= the brunette said.

"This is not a game!" the redhead said furiously.

=Shame, you love games.=

Barbara pinched the bridge of her nose, she needed to have a serious talk with her.

-----------------------------------

The brunette arrived quickly, she wanted a good fight. It was good therapy to burn anger and frustration. She found that the place was a disaster. Cars were turned on their side and there were several light posts on the ground. A woman in a tight, white costume was standing in the middle of the street.

"Everything is a mess," she said in the mic, jumping. "It looks like if a tornado hit. I only see a woman standing in the middle of the street. I'm going in."

=Wait for Dinah.=

"I'm on my way." Huntress jumped off the building toward the street.

As soon as she landed, the woman turned and glared at the brunette. She had weird, blank eyes and green skin.

"And you are?" Huntress asked.

"Are you the one who rules this world?" the woman asked.

"Excuse me?"

=Who is she, Huntress?=

"No idea, but it's a green woman and her look is white, like when I kiss you."

=You have never kissed me!=

"That's too bad for you." Huntress smirked.

"Are you the one who rules this world?" the woman asked again.

"Yes, that's me. Who are you?" the brunette sighed.

"The new Master, I order you to surrender."

"I'm not good at following orders, did you know that?"

=I thought you liked dominant women.=

"One is enough."

------------------------------------------

Oracle hacked the traffic cameras on the street. She moved them around and tried to find Huntress.

The monitor was black and white, but at least she could see what was happening.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The strange woman walked toward the brunette, "This is your last chance, surrender to me."

"You're kidding, right?"

The woman opened her mouth and a strong wind sent the young woman flying back. She hit the back door of a truck parked on the street, breaking it.

"Surrender to me," the woman said, walking toward the truck.

Several police cars arrived. The woman lifted her hands and again, a wind formed and sent the cars flying back.

"Go away, mortals!" she shouted.

-----------------------------------

This definitely didn't look good.

"Dinah," she said, noticing the blonde's signal was close to Huntress, "hurry. I need you close, but

don't let that the strange woman see you. I have a bad feeling about this."

=Right.=

-------------------------------------------------

Huntress jumped outside of the truck, standing up in front of the strange woman.

"All right, you like to play rough, I will play rough." She kicked the woman and hit her with her fist.

The strange woman just stepped back with each of the brunette's blows. She didn't seem to know how to fight until, suddenly, she blocked one of Huntress' blows and a second one. She tried to hit her a third time, but the woman stopped her fist with her hand.

The woman looked at the vigilante, cocking her head. Suddenly, the woman threw a punch at Huntress.

The dark haired woman winced in pain when she blocked the blow with her arm, she was sure she had broken it. She hit her again in her face before she opened her mouth again and a exhaled a powerful wind that sent young woman flying again.

"Surrender to me!" the woman ordered in a cold voice.

Huntress was on her feet again and growled, annoyed, holding her arm. She was pissed off.

=Huntress, wait for backup. I'm afraid she is not from this world.=

"I'm busy now." She threw a punch at the woman, but all her blows were stopped. The woman had learned her movements. A hard kick made her step back.

And, worst, she had learned to fight.

She jumped at the woman and fell on her back; she shoved her against the ground.

"Well," she said, putting a hand over her neck, "it's time you tell me who you are."

"I'll rule your world."

=I'm here, in the building behind Huntress.= Dinah said over the mic.

=Keep your eyes open.=

The woman opened her mouth. The wind emerged again from her mouth and the brunette found herself flying through the dark sky over a building.

She covered her head when she saw she was going to hit the building wall, but the blow didn't come, she found herself floating in the air and, then, moving up.

"What the…?" Huntress looked around, she saw her young partner on the rooftop of the building. She landed gently.

"You thank me for saving your ass," Dinah said, with her arms crossed.

"I was not going to do it now." Helena felt warmth on her forehead, she put her hand to her temple and looked at her fingers. Blood.

=Get out of there now!= They heard Oracle's voice on the mic.

Dinah pulled her arm, "All right, you can do it later."

The brunette turned her head just in time to notice a tornado developing in the middle of the street and moving toward them. She ran, following the blonde.

"Did you have to tell her that you are the one that rules this world?" Dinah shouted. "Are you insane?"

"How I was I supposed to know she was powerful and crazy?" Huntress grabbed the blonde by her waist and jumped toward the next building.

"Now I saved your ass," the brunette said, looking back. The tornado was demolishing the building behind them.

"Can I thank you later?" the teenager said, running again.

"Good idea." Helena grabbed her again, as they leapt across to another building.

=The sewers, Huntress. Jump down, on the corner to your left.=

"Right, Dinah, let's go," the brunette said. Dinah wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck and they jumped to the ground.

They landed in an alley and Helena opened the grill of a sewer. Dinah jumped down as the building began to collapse. The brunette followed her, closing the grill.

-------------------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED


	25. We need a plan

"Oh my God!" Barbara exclaimed covering her nose, when the girls stepped out of the elevator. "Where were you two?"

"Is that a trick question?" Dinah asked.

"You sent us to a sewer, remember?" Helena glared at the redhead, removing her short coat.

"What is your obsession with sewers and trash containers?" Barbara asked. "You always end up in them."

"Whatever. Who is that woman? She is really weird." Helena growled, pacing.

"I thought she was meta," Barbara explained, "but I'm not sure now. She was speaking oddly."

"Yeah," Dinah said pointing at Helena, "and only she would think to answer a lunatic that yes, she rules this world."

"I told you I never could have imagined she was fucking looney toon." Helena rubbed her arm. It still hurt her.

"What happened to you?" Barbara noticed the black bruise on the young woman's arm.

"I blocked one of her blows and I thought it was broken. Iit was like being hit with an iron bar."

"I need to check that and your head."

"What about my head?" The brunette took a hand toward her head and touched it. She grimaced lightly.

"You are still bleeding. Maybe you need some stitches there. I hope this teaches you a lesson to stop and listen to me the next time."

"Yes, mom," Helena sighed.

"What's with this woman, Barbara?" Dinah asked. "Who is she?"

"Did you hit her with your fist?" the older woman asked Helena.

"Yeah, and she didn't even flinch."

"With the hand on which you wear your ring?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me."

"Oh… Do you want me to give you an engagement ring? This is so sudden… Our relationship is just beginning…"

Barbara took a deep breath and glared at her. "Don't think you are so lucky. I want to see if some of her skin is on it and analyze her molecular structure, so I can confirm if she is meta or not."

"Oh…" Helena removed the ring form her index finger. "Good, I'm too young to be engaged."

"Yes, and too prudent." The cyber genius stood up and walked toward the lab. "Dinah, go take shower, Helena come with me."

"Are you thinking about doing naughty things to me, now?" Helena followed her, hopping.

Dinah smiled in amusement, walking toward her bedroom. This was the never-ending story.

"Could you please stop with that?" Barbara took out her medical kit and put it on a table close to the brunette.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you are dreaming of it." Helena stood up behind her and purred in her ear.

The redhead turned and hit Helena's bruised arm 'accidentally' with her elbow. The dark haired woman winced, stepping back and holding her arm.

"Sit down." Barbara said, smiling inwardly, and putting her gloves on her hands. "I need to examine your head."

"That was mean!" Helena complained, sitting in the chair.

"Keep your paws away when I'm working."

Grumbling, the young woman remained still. Barbara stood close to her. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. She could feel her warmth, smell her fragrance. She let it envelope her senses. Barbara's fingers probing her wound felt damn good, maybe she needed to break her head more often.

"This will hurt," the redhead warned, cleaning her head with alcohol. Helena didn't move. She noticed it was a deep cut. "I'll need pour some alcohol here." She felt her fingers tremble, she had taken care of her many times, but now, now it was different because she looked at her in a different way.

Helena's hair was soft, as was her skin. She let her fingers freely caress the young woman's head with the excuse of examining her. What strange power did the younger woman have over her? It was weird, something she hadn't felt before.

Helena wanted to stay there forever. She let all her muscles relax and enjoy the touch of those wonderful fingers on her head, thinking she was caressing her. Time seemed to stand still. She wanted to take that hand in hers and kiss each finger softly, maybe taste them with her tongue, with long, soft strokes.

The redhead moved back and put a piece of gauze and her tape inside her medical box. "It's done, Helena, go shower," she said, removing her gloves.

The brunette didn't respond. Barbara turned and noticed she was still in her place. "Helena? I'm done." She moved closer and tapped the young woman's shoulder.

Dazed, she opened her eyes. "Mmm?"

"All done.., go shower, you need to rest, you are tired. You fell asleep there for a minute."

"Me?" Helena blinked. Where was she? "Oh? Oh…!"

"Go shower, I'll check your ring to see if it has some DNA ."

"Right, right," Helena said, standing up and walking toward the bathroom and trying to sound normal. Damn, Barbara's talented hands had left her totally dazed.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"So, do you think she really is some kind of alien?" the young teenager asked. She was seated next to her mentor at the Delphi.

"Must be, I checked her DNA from Helena's ring and her molecular structure is nothing I've seen before. It has radioactive properties," Barbara explained.

"But, how did she get here?"

"I was checking soma abnormal activity on the earth's surface, using satellites," the redhead responded, opening a window on her computer. "There was an impact close to New Gotham Hills. It looks like a meteorite hit about two hours ago."

"A spaceship? Do you think she could arrive that way?"

"It's my only theory. She can control wind, she created a disaster downtown."

"Where is she now?" Dinah leaned over the monitor.

"The reports say downtown is blocked off all the way to the dockyards with the Army and police force."

"We could use a guinea pig to get her out of the city, to the dockyards. She is very destructive, we must get her away from the population."

"Agree. We definitely need a guinea pig to get her there." Barbara moved back in her chair and scratched her head.

"I'm back," Helena said, appearing at the bottom of the platform.

"We were talking about you," Dinah said, smirking.

"About me?"

"We need to get our friend out of the city." Barbara bit her lip thinking.

"And?"

"Well, you told her you rule this world, so she will surely follow you," Dinah explained happily.

"Are you crazy?" Helena frowned. "Did you notice what E.T can do every time she opens her mouth?"

"Well," Dinah explained, "I can't do it. After knowing you are the one who rules this world, she surely won't want to follow me."

"Point for her," Barbara said standing up.

"Are you serious?" Helena opened her eyes wide. "How am I going to stop her?"

"You are going to take her far from the city. I have an idea. She controls wind and air." Barbara explained, "If she doesn't have air, she can't use it as a weapon. So, I just need to eliminate the air around her."

"And how are you going to do that?" the brunette asked.

"Dinah."

"Me?" the blonde blinked.

"Yes, I need you to create a bubble around her," Barbara told her, drawing a diagram on a piece of paper.

"But a bubble has air inside."

"Yes, but not enough to create a tornado or hurricane. Dinah must get close to that woman so she can create the bubble."

"And if the plan doesn't works?" Helena asked.

"That's why I need you to take her out of the city," the redhead tore up the paper and put it in the trash can close to her. "No one will be in danger."

"Just me."

"Exactly." Barbara winked to her.

"I don't like the plan." Helena shook her head.

"What do we do after we get her?" Dinah asked.

"That's the second part of the plan that I don't have yet." The redhead crossed her arms. "We need to stop her first."

"And what if this plan doesn't work? Do you have another plan?" Helena frowned.

"Yes. Run as fast as you can."

The brunette rolled her eyes.

"All right." Barbara clapped, "We are moving in fifteen minutes."

"We?" Helena looked her.

"Yes, you need back up." Barbara nodded.

"Me?"

"You." The redhead put a hand on her waist. "As I recall, the woman swept the street with you last time."

"Not exactly swept." Dinah lifted her brow. "I'd say she kicked her ass."

Helena glared at the teen. "Thanks for your help."

"Be ready." Barbara smiled. "I'll see you downstairs in a few."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helena landed smoothly on the rooftop. It was empty. E.T. was supposed to be around, but Helena didn't see her. She adjusted her short black jacket and began to walk slowly toward the next street.

"All right, I'm here," she said into her mic.

Is she around?

"No… Maybe she took a cab and flew back home." The brunette stopped on the corner and looked around carefully. The next street was empty, but the woman had been there, there were several cars bent up or turned over and the place was a mess.

{Or the subway…. }Dinah's voice said.

"The subway doesn't a stop on Mars. Where are the police now?" the brunette whispered.

{Ten blocks behind you.} Oracle answered.

"And where are you?"

{Eight blocks in front of you.}

"That means I'm the only one close to E.T?"

{Someone had to be the guinea pig.} Dinah giggled.

"Very funny," the brunette said, crouching behind a bus turned on its side. "I see her."

{All right, bring her here and we will trap her in the bubble.} Oracle said.

"Easy for you to say." She walked toward the middle of the street and put her hands in the pockets of her coat. The woman had her back to her and was several meters away.

"Miss me?" Huntress asked loudly.

The woman turned her head. "You are the one that rules the world. Surrender to me now."

"No one taught you to say anything else?" She ran toward the woman and jumped in the air. She hit her with her feet, making the woman fall back.

She stood up and faced her. The dark haired woman hit her twice.

"Surrender or you will die!" the woman said angrily, a strong wind began to whirl around. Her white eyes shone.

"Time to run," Helena mumbled, running through the street.

A strong wind suddenly lifted her off the ground.

"Dammit." She growled, she grabbed a stair railing on a building. Her feet were flying with the strength of the wind.

She used the handle to climb to the top of the building. Once she was there, she rolled on the roof and ran toward the next building.

"Well, she is following me," Huntress observed.

{We are in position now. How did you do it?} Oracle answered.

"I pissed her off." The young woman ducked in time to avoid a piece of wood.

{An easy task for you.}

The brunette noticed the building ended and New Gotham Park was in front of her. Great, almost a mile of open field.

She jumped down and ran as fast as she could. Objects began to fly around her. A gust of wind –a downburst - hit the ground a few meters from her and she flew forward, slamming into the dirt several meters away. This was going to be hard. She rolled and ran again toward the far corner, looking for protection from the buildings.

"Now I know what a hunted fox feels like." She growled through the mic.

{Don't worry, you have nine lives.} Dinah said.

"But I'm not sure how many I've already used." The brunette jumped down an embankment and stood under a small bridge. She rested her back on the wall, objects were flying over her head. "And I'll need at least two or three for this."

{I need you closer, you are still too far.}

"I'm trying." The wind stopped and Huntress ran toward the closest street.

She was relieved when she arrived at a street surrounded by buildings. They could protect her a bit more. She jumped to the rooftop.

{I see you. Dinah, be ready.} Oracle said.

{I'm ready.}

Suddenly, Helena stopped in her tracks. A big tornado began to spawn in front of her.

"Uh… oh… trouble here," she mumbled.

A strong wind pushed her back, she crashed against a big water tank; she covered her face with her hands. It broke under her weight and tons of water flowed everywhere, she tried to hold on to something, but the water carried her down. Her hand grabbed a hold of a fire escape on the wall, she stopped her fall and she hit the wall hard.

That had hurt. She winced, trying to avoid falling down.

"Dinah…" Huntress grumbled.

{I'm trying, but I can't, there's a lot of strong wind around, I can't move closer.}

The woman blew across her hands and formed two small circles of wind. A birdarang hit her hard and a dark figure fell over her.

Batgirl punched her three times before the woman opened her mouth and pushed the crimefighter back with a strong wind. The redhead fell backwards on the ground bouncing. Dinah ran, trying to get closer.

"Who are you?" the strange woman shouted. Annoyed, she pushed her back with another strong wind.

Huntress landed in front of the strange woman crouching. "My associate… is there a problem?"

"You will die now."

"Take a number." The brunette took the woman by her arm and threw her against the building.

Angry, the strange woman stood and formed two small wind balls with her hands.

"Now, Dinah!" Batgirl shouted, noticing the blonde was close.

Huntress jumped on the alien as she threw a wind ball.

"No Huntress!" Batgirl yelled into her mic.

"Huntress is there! I can't trap her with my bubble." Dinah said.

"Huntress, get out of there."

The young woman kicked the woman hard in her gut, but the alien took her by her sleeves and slammed her against the buildings wall, breaking it. Both fell inside.

"Dammit!" Batgirl growled and ran toward the building. A strong wind began to move inside the building and lights sparkled, it was like a tornado inside. The walls began trembling. Dinah ran close to the redhead and took her arm to pull her back.

"It's going to fall!"

"I need to get her out of there!!" Batgirl yelled.

"No, it's going to fall!" the teen shouted as the building collapsed. She hugged her mentor and had just enough time to protect them inside a force field created with her mind.

A strong dust cloud covered the place.

The dust began to disappear and, after a few minutes, when the danger was gone, the teenager looked around, some bricks and a big wooden table had fallen on them. Her shield had saved them.

"Dinah, we need to look for her. She could be trapped," Batgirl said anxiously.

Both moved out of the small hole and the redhead noticed the devastation around them. The entire building had disappeared. She felt a knot in her throat and prayed the brunette was alive. She looked around, trying to find the place she had seen her last.

"Huntress!" Batgirl shouted, feeling her heart thumping hard in her chest. She took a small tracking device she had on her waist. Helena's signal was directly under her.

"She was around here," Dinah recalled, looking at the tons of bricks, wood and broken furniture that was scattered around.

"She's here," Batgirl said, removing a piece of wood. Helena and the woman were on the basement floor.

They managed to make a hole and the redhead kneeled to look inside.

"Huntress!" she shouted. She began to remove her belt.

"You are not going to crawl inside." Dinah said.

"I must look for her."

"It's not stable. You can't go!"

"She could be trapped!"

"Or dead! I don't want to lose you too!!" Dinah covered her mouth almost immediately, noticing the pain in the redhead's features. "I'm sorry, Barbara, I didn't…"

The redhead nodded and bit her lips. It took her a few seconds to control her emotions.

"We need to go down there," she said with a pause, "and see if she needs help. I need you. Are you going to help me?"

The teenager nodded, hugging herself.

"First, we need to get this support column out of the way." The older woman pointed to a big piece of wood. "It will relieve the pressure on the hole."

They moved it and the redhead kneeled, looking inside the hole again. She took a small flashlight from her belt and looked inside.

"What are you looking for?" a voice behind them said.

The two women turned to see Huntress standing behind them, cleaning the dust from her short jacket.

"What are you doing here?" Dinah asked.

"What am I doing here? Saving the city, if you'll recall."

"But you…" Dinah pointed down.

"When the damn thing collapsed, I jumped inside the elevator shaft. I read it protects you a lot and it's true. But it fell to the basement. I had to crawl to get out." The brunette pointed at a grill that was on the sidewalk, that she had opened.

Barbara felt a great happiness inside her, the joy made her heart explode. She wasn't wearing her necklace. She'd probably lost it in the fight and it had fallen. That's why the signal was coming from inside the building. Suddenly, her joy turned to anger. She stood up, pissed, and pushed the brunette back.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she shouted.

"I was fighting the bitch! What's your problem?" Huntress shouted back.

"You almost got yourself killed! Are you crazy?"

"She was going to hit you!"

"I said stop! Dinah was going to trap her with her TK bubble!"

"And what if it didn't work? She would have killed you!"

"You could have died!!

"But I didn't, and stop yelling at me. I know what I'm doing!"

"Doesn't look like it! You always act like a child!" Batgirl put a finger on her chest and poked her.

"I was doing my job! I'm not a child!" Huntress waved her hands.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, she seemed very angry and she exploded when I jumped into the elevator and the building collapsed!"

"You could have died inside that building!" the re head pointed toward the fallen bricks.

"We are safe! What is your the fucking problem?"

"You scared the hell out of me!" Batgirl yelled. "I thought you were dead!"

"That's the risk of the job and you know it!"

"I don't want to lose you, dammit!" Barbara stared at her. She thought she had lost her for a minute, the worst minute of her life. She would die if Helena died. She was her soul, her life, her everything, Why was she so stupid? Suddenly, the redhead took the younger woman's face in her hands and pressed their lips together.

Helena opened her mouth in shock and felt Barbara's teeth lightly biting her upper lip. A second later, her warm tongue caressed her lips. The brunette felt her knees weaken and a shiver ran through her body.

Barbara moved back glaring at her. "Stupid!" She growled, poking her in the chest one last time.

Stunned, the brunette stared at her, not knowing what to say, feeling her legs trembling. Dinah's eyes were wide, she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

Batgirl turned and fired a bat rope at the next building.

Huntress stood there not knowing what to do. Her mind tried to process what had just happened.

Batgirl had yelled to her and called her irresponsible, then she had kissed her and after it she had called her stupid again. She'd cursed several times too… but she never said bad words. What was going on?

Barbara had kissed her?

Yes.

She was sure that she was grinning like an idiot.

"What are you doing?" Dinah pushed her shoulder.

"What?" the brunette, still stunned, looked at the blonde.

"Follow her! She is leaving!" Dinah pointed towards the redhead. "I told you! She loves you!"

The dark haired woman turned her head to the point Dinah was indicating and noticed the older woman had disappeared.

"Go on!" Dinah pushed her again,

Huntress reacted and ran behind her.

---------------------------------------------

TBC


	26. Just a dream

Batgirl felt angry, angrier than she had ever felt. She stared at the city below her. It was full of life now. The danger was gone. The Clock tower was not too far, a few blocks away.

She'd almost lost her, she had felt so scared, she would die without her.

Why did the young woman always act so irresponsibly? Why didn't she ever stop to think?

She rubbed her face. She had just realized how important she was in her life. Why had her love grown so much? Why, when she already knew that Helena would never be her future. How could she fight her feelings? Against the deep love that lived inside her heart?

Huntress was her world, her everything.

She had kissed her. It had been a mistake. But she couldn't avoid those tempting lips so close to her. It had been a big mistake, how was she to explain it now? Huntress was a woman that just liked to play, that just wanted to have a good time with women and then keep moving on. It made her angrier. How could she love someone like her?

"Barbara?" a voice behind her said.

She recognized it immediately. She rested her hands on her hips and stared at the city below her.

"I said I don't want to talk with you now."

"But I want to."

"Go away." Batgirl couldn't avoid feeling nervous. Lately, Huntress' presence disturbed her always controlled nerves.

"No." Huntress walked toward her, she wanted to know. She had many questions twisting in her mind.

Batgirl turned and glared at her. "Go! Leave me alone!"

"Just because you say so?"

"Yes."

The brunette began to circle her slowly. "Must I remind you that I'm not good at following orders?"

"You don't have the right to risk the team's safety for your stubbornness." Batgirl pointed out angrily.

"I saved your life." Huntress stood up and leaned slightly toward her.

"I didn't ask for it!" the redhead spat.

"Do you think you are the only one who can make decisions?" the young woman shouted, feeling frustrated. "What about Dinah? What about me? I have the right to make my own decisions!"

"You almost died!"

"That's the risk!" the brunette took a step toward Batgirl, pointing at her with her index finger. "You know everybody has the right to make a mistake."

"No! You don't have the right to fail on a mission like this one!"

The brunette smirked and took a step back. "I see… the 'all knowing' Oracle is pissed because I can be much better than her, because I can take control on a mission without her help."

"I'm angry because it was an unnecessary risk."

Huntress ran a hand through her hair in exasperation; she was angry, why was Barbara always so hard on her? "Why do you yell at me all the time?" she asked.

"Act like a mature person!" Batgirl crossed her arms.

Huntress moved toward her, challenging.

Batgirl was caught in those blue eyes. She didn't move, she was not going to step back.

"Maybe are you angry because I excited you last week and you want more?" the brunette taunted.

"You wish," the older woman said, clenching her teeth and feeling anger burning in her.

"Well…" Huntress leaned in, mere inches from her face.

Batgirl felt her mouth go dry. Se could feel the brunette's breath on her. Helena's lips were so inviting, so tempting.

The young woman moved forward and whispered in her ear, "You kissed me."

Batgirl bit her lips angrily.

"What? I hurt your pride?" Helena moved back, grinning.

"No, it hurts me that you don't understand that we are a team." The redhead clenched her teeth. "Don't mix issues, you don't know what love is. You only want to have fun and leave."

"I know what love is." The young woman felt as if she had slapped her. What she felt about her? She never would understand how deep her love for her was; she had loved her in silence for years, supporting her, being always there for her while she preferred other persons that never had been there for her.

It was Batgirl's turn to smirk and she crossed her. "Came on, for you love means just fuck."

Huntress couldn't contain her anger. She didn't have the right. She pushed Batgirl against the wall that was behind her and put her hand on her neck. "Shut up! You don't know."

Batgirl reacted. In a blink, the brunette found herself backed up against the cold wall. The redhead put her arm over the young woman's neck. She could feel the young woman's breath on her face; her familiar smell filled her senses, her eyes were only a few inches from her, looking at her with that intensity that made her feel naked. She was strong, wild, gorgeous, an intoxicating mix that turned her on.

"Never," the crime fighter warned, "never raise your hand against me again."

The redhead looked so beautiful when she was angry. Huntress fixed her eyes on Barbara's lips. They were full and inviting. Huntress grinned. She knew what pissed her off, what made her feel vulnerable -- that another person knew her weakness.

"What are you afraid of?. You are afraid of me, of what I am. I know you." Huntress said with a low voice, taking her time to pronounce each syllable.

"I'm not afraid of anything." Batgirl felt trapped by the magic of Huntress's blue eyes, each word was a seductive challenge, she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest.

"I know your weakness, I know your demon, I know what hurts you…" the brunette mumbled, tempted to kiss the redheads lips. She wanted her, she wanted her so much. "…and what you love. You always have everything under control. You are afraid to lose control with me because you know I know you as no one else does. Because you know I'm the only person you can't control."

Huntress winced in pain when her arm was painfully twisted behind her back. The redhead slammed her face against the wall. Dammit, she was fast.

"Is that what you think?" the dark vigilante moved close to her face and growled angrily. "You are wrong, very wrong."

Barbara turned her and pushed her back against a ladder on the wall hard. Before she could react, she found her right wrist cuffed over her head, on a ladder step.

"What the…?" Huntress protested in surprise, lifting her free hand to release her trapped wrist, but Batgirl caught it too and cuffed it over her head. Annoyed, she glared at the redhead. "Hey! Are you insane? Let me go!"

"Who is afraid of who, now?" the redhead pressed her forearm against the brunette's neck and moved her face closer. She could feel the girl's heart thumping hard in her chest. "I think you are afraid of me, I'm the only one who you don't scare, I'm the only one who controls you, mine is the only voice to which you listen, since you were a child, you are only pretending to be a rebel now, to prove to yourself that you are in control… but no, it's me."

They stared at each other in silence for long seconds. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Barbara had felt always strangely drawn to her former charge, a fascination that had awakened some erotic sensations she'd had a hard time dealing with. To be sexually attracted to her had bewildered her. She had tried to deal with it, tried to distract her mind with other people, on other things. But feeling the warmth of Huntress' body so close to her… It made her senses lose control.

She went on, her eyes fixed on Helena's mouth.

The brunette felt her mouth suddenly dry, she couldn't move her gaze from those red lips. She closed the small space between them and kissed her. When her lips brushed against the older woman's, she moaned and it was the redhead's tongue that moved forward. It was an electric touch, overwhelming for both. At first, Helena didn't respond, she was stiff, holding her breath. Barbara traced the outline of her lips with her own, wanting more.

Huntress finally managed to shake her astonishment and opened her mouth to welcome Batgirl, She heard herself moan softly as their tongues prodded at each other, demanding. Barbara wanted more and put her left hand on the brunette's neck to pull her closer. There was no world, no sounds, nor anything around them.

Huntress's kiss deepened as Barbara pulled her tighter, she let her tongue circle Barbara's, both in an erotic, intense fight to take the control. Tongues meeting and pulling away to meet again. She was drowning in the redhead's intense caress. She felt her passion and love for her igniting, consuming her. Batgirl was rough, demanding, she kissed her as no one had done before, she was taking her air, her soul.

She tried to touch the redhead, but the chains holding her wrist reminded her that she was trapped, and it made her more excited.

"Do you think you know me?" Batgirl moved back a few inches, resting her forehead on Huntress', both breathless.

The brunette's eyes glowed in desire made her tremble, it was so sexy.

Barbara pressed her lips against her again and mumbled: "You don't, you don't know what I want."

"What… do… you want?" Huntress mumbled into the kiss, wanting more, lost in the pleasure of those amazing lips on hers.

Batgirl moved to the side and bit the brunette's neck. Huntress shivered and gasped.

"No…" Batgirl licked her neck softly, whispering, "Tell me you, what do you want?"

The dark haired woman couldn't suppress a growl, feeling she was losing control. This time, it was she who moved her head to the side to trap the redhead's lips.

The kiss lasted a long time. Huntress' kiss was hard, but tender, Batgirl could feel the passion within the other woman; the flaming passion she had stopped fighting. Huntress growled, it was the most erotic sound Batgirl had ever heard and she deepened the kiss, urging the other woman on with her tongue, her lips, her hands holding Helena's neck.

"Barbara…" Helena said breathlessly, when she could break free, her eyes had morphed.

"Tell me what you want," the redhead growled again.

"I want you."

Batgirl trapped the brunette's lips again, she felt she was floating in heaven, kissing and tasting that wonderful woman. She moved her lips to her neck again as she removed her gloves. She wanted to feel the brunette's skin under her hands. When both of her hands were free, she let them trace the young woman's bare waist. Luckily, she loved those short tank tops. She let her fingers caress the firm muscles, trace each curve, each hollow. She smiled to herself feeling the young woman trembling under her touch. Her hands move up and down the brunette's breasts and she pressed her body against Huntress, moving her leg between the dark vigilante's.

She let one of her hands sweep down the young woman's back and took her buttocks, pushing Helena against her leg. The brunette gasped. She tried to free herself, but the old woman arrested her movement.

"Don't."

Huntress' heart was beating at high speed, Batgirl forced her to rock her leg and Huntress moved her hips to meet her. After a few seconds, she found the pace. Batgirl's warm, long fingers moved under her tank top and cupped one of her breasts.

"You are mine." Batgirl said in her ear.

"Harder." The dark haired woman mumbled, resting her head on soft red hair. Her clit was throbbing harder and it seemed to want to explode with each thrust of the redhead's leg against her. She growled, arching her neck, and the other woman took the opportunity to bite the area where her jugular was.

The feeling of the redhead's teeth on her neck and the movement of her body against her, put Huntress on the edge. She ground herself harder against the old woman's thigh. She never had felt as excited as she did now. She tried to move her hands and touch her former guardian, but the restrains on her wrist arrested her movement.

She was angry and annoyed; she wanted to touch her, feel her skin vibrate. She pulled hard once more, unsuccessfully. She heard the sound of fabric ripping and a warm mouth encircling one of her breasts. She cried in pleasure, closing her eyes. Dazed, she opened her eyes and was trapped by green ones as she witnessed the obscene way the redhead opened her mouth to take her breast again in her mouth. She was lost in overwhelming sensations for long minutes. Batgirl was touching her, her entire body was on fire.

Batgirl felt warm between her legs and she maneuvered to press her aching need against the brunette's hip. She began to rock against her, using her hand on the younger woman's buttock to press her thigh against her. It was so exciting to take that wild woman to the edge. It was so exciting too, as she never could imagine, to have her trapped, under her control.

They moved with erratic movements, lost in passion. The redhead, surrounded in her own desire, couldn't stop teasing, feeling that smooth skin under her fingers. She sucked hard on the soft mound in her mouth and was encouraged by the whimpers of the young woman.

"Bar…" the brunette tried to clear her throat. Crap. It was so hard to think with that wonderful tongue doing marvelous things to her breast, sucking her so hard, licking, tasting. She growled in annoyance, straining at the handcuffs that restraining her hands above her head. She wanted desperately to trace the other woman's body, map her curves, caress her face. "I want to touch you…" she pleaded, pulling on her hands again, "Please, let me touch you."

"No, you are mine…" Barbara's mouth was on her lips again, her fingers on her breasts, her nipples were captured between forefingers and thumbs. Batgirl squeezed and twisted the erect nubs, making her crazy with desire.

The redhead found she wanted more of this woman, she wanted to hear her crying her name, feel her, taste her. She lowered her mouth again to one of her breast as her left hand slid down her stomach slowly, letting her fingernails scrape across soft skin.

Huntress hissed through clenched teeth, pulling her restrains. "Barbara, please…"

The sound of the button of her pants popping and a zipper sliding down filled the air. Batgirl's hand slid smoothly below her underwear, she played with short curls.

The brunette moved her hips forward, trying desperately to find her fingers.

Barbara moved up, jade eyes fixed on dilated cat ones. Helena's face looked so beautiful lost in pleasure. She let her hand dip lower and teased wet lower lips. A hiss escaped the young woman's lips. She began to move her hand slow, letting it trace, discover each fold, tease a moist opening.

"You are mine." The redhead took her cheek in her hand and whispered in her ear at the moment that she let her fingers move inside her.

Huntress cried and arched her body, feeling the older woman inside her. All her muscles trembled, after a few seconds she began to move in rhythm with the wonderfully long fingers taking her.

Barbara pressed her crotch against Huntress' thigh and she began to move with her. Huntress could feel her heat against her thigh through her leather costume. Her hard breaths and gasps, and the sound of leather rubbing against leather were the only sounds. The redhead kissed the brunette roughly, mapping her mouth, tracing, tasting, holding the back of head with her other hand.

"Barbara..:" Huntress growled and buried her head in Batgirl's neck. "I'm close…"

"Helena…." The redhead groaned, feeling she was close to the edge too.

They began to move faster against each other.

Both came at the same time, it was a bright explosion with a white light. There were no sounds, just an overwhelming sensation and, afterwards, a peaceful darkness.

---------------------

When the redhead opened her eyes, she felt for a moment that she had been dreaming, until a soft purr under her let her know it really had happened and that it hadn't been just an erotic dream. She was resting her head on the brunette's shoulder.

It really had happened. What had she done? She had let her feelings control her. She was so angry with the young woman, she'd meant to just leave her cuffed her there to teach her a lesson, but… getting her so close, had ignited her darkest desires and they had taken control of her. She let her fingers caress Huntress' chin. God, how she loved this woman. She wrapped her arms around her, hugging her and kissed the side of her jaw. This had been so erotic, so wild… so unexpected. But it had been wrong. Very wrong. She had let her emotions, rather than her head control her actions.

Helena had always taunted her for fun, as she taunted so many women just to see if she could seduce them and have sex, and she had fallen for her game. She was so stupid.

The brunette lazily opened her eyes and moved her head up to rub her head against the older woman purring. She didn't know what had possessed Barbara to do that, but it had been amazing. She was still in heaven. Barbara had been her dream for years and years.

"I'm sorry, Helena." Batgirl exhaled and took a hand to her forehead.

The lithe brunette lifted her head.

"I'm not…" She planted a soft kiss on the redhead's lips and began to brush her mouth against the older woman's face softly in a tender caress.

After a few seconds, her lips moved toward Barbara's and her tongue shyly asked for entrance. The redhead melted under the soft touch and kissed her back. She needed to stop it, but she couldn't, the brunette was an irresistible drug for her.

After a long, intense kiss, Huntress moved back, grinning.

"Weren't you chained…" the redhead inquired, caressing her cheek with her index. Why was this just an impossible dream?

"Well… we owe the city a new ladder, I broke this one." Huntress lifted her hand and showed the broken cuff still hanging from her hand.

Barbara smiled lightly.

The young woman leaned over her, burying her head on her neck. Barbara's smell was intoxicating for her, she wanted to feel her skin under her fingers, she wanted touch her, pleasure her. She rubbed her head gently against her as her hand slid over Batgirl's side, moving up toward her chest. The problem here was the damn clasp on her costume, so hard and cold. She gently bit the elegant neck.

"Maybe you are over dressed now…" she purred, moving her hand toward the bat belt.

The redhead felt her body reacting to the gentle gesture. She couldn't fall again into the young woman's game. Suddenly, she was stiff. What was she doing? Why she had let things go so far? She pushed the brunette back with a soft, but firm movement.

"Barbara?" the young woman asked, confused.

"We must go." She sat slowly.

"But…" .

The experienced crime fighter noticed the nakedness of the dark haired woman's chest, she really had an amazing body. No, she averted her gaze, she couldn't be thinking of that. She picked up her gloves and stood up "Close your jacket. It's cold."

"Wait." Huntress stood up, too, zipping her coat. "What's wrong, Barbara?"

"We must find Dinah." The redhead arranged her costume.

Blue eyes blinked, trying to understand. "Dinah? What about Dinah?" Dinah was not exactly the right topic at this moment.

"It's late, she must be worried about us." The redhead took out her bat rope and threw it to the next building.

Huntress grabbed her wrist. "Barbara… and, and, what about… this?" She waved at the place where they had been lying just a few seconds before.

"Helena, this…" Batgirl took a deep breath.

"What?"

"I'll see you tomorrow at the Clock Tower, Helena." She looked at Helena with such cold eyes that Huntress felt as if she had been stabbed. The red head walked a few steps and threw herself over the edge.

The brunette stared at her, not understanding what was happening.

She was hurt, annoyed, mad. Barbara had just fucked her and left as if she were nothing. She had just played with her feelings again. It had been a revenge for her last taunt at her office. Angry, the brunette took the ladder behind her and ripped it off the wall.

She followed her to the tower.

-------------------------------------------------

"What happened, Barbara?" Dinah stood up as soon as the redhead walked inside the Clock Tower. She had been at the Delphi following the news after that strange woman attacked.

"Nothing," she said, removing her cowl. "How is everything?"

"Nothing?" the blonde asked, stunned. "Where is Helena?"

"She went to home, to rest." The older woman brushed her hair and stepped onto the platform.

"She what?" Dinah asked. It seemed things hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped.

"She went home. What do the reports say?" Barbara asked, scanning the monitors.

"Well…" the teenager hesitated before answering, "It looks like she is gone, she vanished, no traces of her. I don't understand what happened. What do you think?"

"I don't have any idea. Maybe she couldn't control her own strength and killed herself."

"Police and firemen now are controlling the area of the fight and cleaning it."

"That is good." The redhead exhaled loudly, moving back. "Well, I think it is time to go to bed, I'm exhausted and I think you are too." She patted the young girl's back. "You did a great job."

"Are you sure Helena just went home?" Dinah asked again.

"Yes, she was tired." She rubbed the back of her head as she walked toward her room. "Let's go rest, we can talk tomorrow, okay?"

The blonde scratched her head. What had happened?

Barbara walked inside her room and threw her cowl, cape and gloves in the corner. She took a glass of water from her night table and sat on the couch. She removed her boots. Her bare feet on the cold floor felt so good.

She swallowed a bit of water and stared at the wall in front of her with the glass in hand.

How could she lose the control that way? How could she let the things go so far?

She still could feel her lips, Helena trembling under her touch, the emotions that filled her-- want, need. She could taste Helena on her lips, feel her skin shiver, hear her moans of pleasure as their kiss deepened and their tongues sought each other out; Helena's feral gaze lost in pleasure. All what she wanted was to take that woman that she loved so much. The images sent a rush of heat through the redhead's body.

"Why did you run away?" a voice echoed in the room.

She lifted her head, surprised to see the dark woman standing in the shadows. She was so distracted in her thoughts that she hadn't heard her.

"Helena, I'm tired." she sighed. Why had she come here? "Can we talk tomorrow?"

"You didn't seem tired a few minutes ago," the brunette said sarcastically, standing in front of her.

The redhead rubbed her temple and closed her eyes.

"Do you know that you suck at pillow talk?."

"I don't remember there being a pillow." Barbara smiled lightly and stood to face her; she had screwed up everything, she had started this, she needed to finish it.

They looked at each other in silence, the brunette lifted her hand and took Barbara's fingers in hers. She lowered her head and observed those elegant fingers that a few minutes ago had touched her with such passion. Maybe she was scared and…

The redhead withdrew her hand. "Helena, no…"

Helena took her hand again and pulled the older woman against her. They were so close.

"I want you, Barbara…" she whispered with her eyes fixed on red lips.

Barbara freed herself and moved back. That was the problem, she just wanted her, just wanted sex. She didn't love her.

"Barbara… I don't understand," Helena said, following her. "Why did you do it?"

"Helena, come one!" the redhead waved her hands. She didn't need to give the brunette wings to fly, thinking she could play with her every time she wanted. "This is a game we have been playing for years!"

"A gam…?"

"You have been flirting with me for years. We have been taunting each other just for fun, don't pretend to be innocent now."

"Yes, but…" the brunette babbled.

"You have told me thousands of times that you are have no desire to commit to one person.. I don't either. Maybe I have had more long term relationships, but, in the end, I prefer my freedom, just like you. This was just a one time thing, I thought you wanted this… and… you should be familiar with this. It's just sex."

Her words hit the young woman like a brick wall.

"Sex." Helena nodded slowly, Barbara had used her just for fun, leaving her hot, aching for more, but it was not love, just sex. Her heart shattered and she thought she would cry, but she held her emotions in check. "Right… sex."

"That is what all this is about, no? We had great sex, you enjoyed it, I thought you wanted it… I'm sorry if I… I don't think it's a good idea if we do this again." The redhead was angry, Helena was just looking for more sex, but nothing else.

Hurt, wounded, the brunette bit her lips. She was not going to let her see how much she had hurt her.

"Can… can we just leave things like this..?" Barbara asked, noticing blue eyes fixed on her with an intensity that burned her soul.

Helena stared at her, not saying a word.

"You are a wonderful woman." Barbara said, she took a step toward her and took her hand squeezing it hard. "You have been an important part of my life, I don't want us to lose everything that we have just over… this… Do you understand?"

The brunette looked their joined hands and took a deep breath. "Is that what you want?"

"It's best for us."

Helena lifted her hand and pressed her mouth to Barbara's fingers. She closed her eyes a brief second. She could still smell herself on the redhead.

She moved back and, without a word, she turned and left the room.

When she left, the redhead was left feeling emptier than ever.

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TO BE CONTINUED


	27. Life goes on

"Why are you so stubborn?" Helena shouted.

"Maybe because you don't listen to reason," Barbara answered, typing at the Delphi.

"What reason?"

"Any reason."

Upstairs, Dinah walked into the kitchen as she listened to the loud voices from the floor below.

"May I help you?" she asked.

The gentle butler was polishing the silver. He smiled gently at her. "Of course."

The teenager sat on a chair close to him.

"Have you stopped to think, just once in your life, that you could be wrong?" Helena's voice was clearly heard.

"I don't have the freedom to be wrong," the redhead replied. "Your life depends on it."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know God put you in charge of my life," the brunette spat back.

"It seems this will take longer than I thought," Alfred noted, picking up some forks.

"Yes, I don't understand," Dinah shrugged her shoulders pouring some polish on a cloth.

"You said they kissed."

"Yes, and Barbara left and Helena followed her. But it seems something didn't work out well. They have been fighting like this since that day.. almost a week ago." The blonde began to polish a knife.

"I have noticed." He smiled, rubbing the forks with his cloth.

"I tried to talk to Helena, but she just grumbled and didn't answer."

"Oh… that means bad news. When she is like that, things are not going well".

"Yes."

"It's a shame. They really do understand each other." He put the forks in a box and took some knives.

"Except for the heart thing."

"It must be genetic. The same happened with Master Bruce and Miss Selina. They used to argue and fought constantly until…"

"…love won." Dinah finished his sentence with a grin.

"Exactly. So, perhaps those two are not yet lost."

"I just I hope it doesn't take too much longer because this is sooo boring."

He chuckled. "Yes, me too."

Suddenly, the hard slam of a door was heard.

"Seems their 'talk' is over," Dinah said.

"And she will be here in thirty seconds."

The teenager turned her gaze toward her wristwatch.

After a few moments, the brunette appeared and walked toward the fridge.

"Amazing." The blonde exclaimed, noticing it had been exactly thirty seconds.

"What?" Helena asked, looking for something inside the fridge.

"The time I have been working here," Alfred explained, putting a bit more of polish on his cloth.

"Yeah." The dark haired woman took out a beer and opened it. "He is part of the house." She swallowed it and rested her hip on the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Domestic labors that superheroes avoid," Alfred said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me," the brunette said, pointing at the polish. "I don't know how to do that."

"Ironic that you can save a city, but not polish a spoon." Dinah lifted one in front of her.

"Hey, I have the rough part in this. It's my ass that is kicked and me that has bruises in very embarrassing places."

"Have you consider using body armor?" Alfred asked.

"Too heavy and stiff." Helena took another sip of her beer.

"And surely wouldn't allow you to wear tight clothes," Dinah added.

"Right," Helena agreed.

"Fashion issues." Alfred chuckled and he exited the kitchen. "I should have thought of that before."

"Yeah." The brunette nodded, finishing her beer. "Want to go out kid?"

"Sorry, I can't. I have to pack."

"Pack?"

"Yeah, I go to camp this weekend with Gabby. Barbara didn't tell you?"

"No," Helena put the glass bottle in the trash "It's impossible to try to talk to her. Have you ever known anyone that stubborn?"

"Yeah… you."

The brunette glared at her. "Very funny."

"Well, it's true." Dinah crossed her arms over the table "Helena, what happened?"

"What happened?"

"Between you and Barbara. She kissed you, you ran after her and I thought you two would talk and things would be better, but it seems everything is worse. You two fight all day."

"It's not my fault she just wants to play with people." She shrugged her shoulders.

"What?"

Helena sighed; maybe she'd said too much. "Forget it, Dinah."

"I don't understand."

"Barbara is not interested in me." The brunette looked the blonde. "She just sees all the flirting between us as a game."

"No, that is not true."

"She told me, Dinah," Helena interrupted her.

The teenager blinked. "Barbara told you that kissing you was a game?"

"No, no…" Helena shook her head and walked out of the kitchen "Barbara is not interested in me, she… she just likes to flirt and go out with people to have fun, nothing serious. Look, I don't want to talk about this with you. Just forget it."

"But…."

"Forget it." The young woman stopped and looked at her. "It's much better this way. I don't want to dwell…. you know?" She bit her lower lip. "It hurt…." She walked toward the elevator. "See you, kid."

The teenager followed her with her gaze, she didn't understand. She was sure Barbara loved her.

--------------------------------------------------------

Since that night, Helena had been damn restless. She had been itchier than usual. Barbara had touched her as no one ever had and had done things that she couldn't have imagined in her best dreams. Barbara's face followed her all day. She couldn't think of anything else, just her. Her fingers ached to touch the older woman, her mouth to kiss every inch of her body.

She couldn't deal with Barbara's infuriating coldness after their 'encounter'. She had just seen it as 'sex.' She never thought Barbara would see her ad just a one night stand. All right, she had been flirting, but only in hopes that someday the redhead would understand that she loved her… but it seemed she was wrong.

Very wrong.

How could Barbara be so blind that couldn't see what was inside her heart, how could she think that she just wanted to have sex with her? What kind of insensitive woman did Barbara think she was?

She picked up glass of straight scotch and downed it in one gulp. She set it on a waitress' tray as she took another. She turned toward the center of the main hall where Barbara was surrounded by many important politicians and 'high society' personalities. The redhead laughed and seemed to be having a real good time as she awaited the opening of a new gallery in New Gotham's Art Museum. She looked so damn beautiful and elegant in that long black dress. Her emerald eyes were jade stones. She observed each movement of her hands, remembering how they felt on her skin.

Blah.

That was so boring.

She couldn't understand why Barbara had insisted that she wanted her here tonight.

Her eyes moved to the opposite side of the room, trying to find someone with whom to distract herself. Her eyes stopped on a amazing blond wearing a backless, blue dress.

The woman looked at her and she smiled.

The blonde winked at her.

Bingo, that was the signal. She swallowed her scotch and put it on a table as she walked toward the woman. Maybe she could have a bit of fun tonight, after all.

The blond was a bit taller than she, but it wasn't an issue for her. After all, she was sure she looked damn good, she had selected a sexy dark top with tight pants, adjusted to her hips.

She was going to introduce herself when she felt some one grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"What?" she protested.

"I need you here," Barbara said, pulling her toward the main gallery.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"The opening is soon and I need you here." The redhead couldn't hide her bad mood.

Well, it seemed Helena couldn't be left alone for five minutes. As soon she was free, she was hunting a new woman. Barbara had seen the brunette from the other side of the bar area and noticed when the her eyes landed on that fake blonde. A really fake blonde. How could Helena even consider someone like that?

"Barbara, you are the public manager here, remember?" Helena said. "I'm the fashion and 'livin' la vida loca' girl."

"Can you stop hunting for just one night?"

"I was bored."

"Look at the paintings."

"Paintings are not 'hot' and I can't do kinky things to them."

"Helena…" The redhead sighed.

"Being kinky is great…" Helena said.

"Is that the only thing you can think about?"

"Well, you love it too."

Barbara stopped walking and glared at her.

"The other night?" Helena smirked, licking her lips. "Rooftop? Ladder? Cuffs? That was beyond anything I could have thought of…"

The redhead pointed at her with her index finger. "Don't go there."

Their discussion was interrupted when a man approached. "Good evening."

Barbara and Helena immediately stopped their discussion and smiled happily at him.

"Senator Johnson," Barbara greeted

"Good evening, sir," Helena responded.

"We are ready to start," he said.

"Perfect, come with us, Helena," the senator invited.

"Me?"

"Of course," the man nodded, offering his arm to her.

The brunette suddenly found herself standing up in front of the everyone, surrounded by the Senator, the Governor and other politicians.

Great, her impossible dream come true.

After the speech, she had to pose with all those people for the photographers and, of course, follow the explanation about what was inside that new gallery. Well, that was the best part of all, she loves art, her mom had taught her to look at it, to read between lines and colors. It was interesting and she knew the works of the new painters and sculptors of the country. But she found herself constantly distracted by Barbara's presence. She really got under her skin in a way she couldn't understand.

At the end of the event, there was a cocktail and she kept herself busy trying to understand a strange painting with subtle touches of color.

"Interesting?" a voice next to her said.

"Different…" she nodded and turned her head. She noticed then the woman standing next to her was that blonde she had eyed earlier. She was very impressive. "Wow…"

The woman laughed. "The 'wow' was for the painting, I imagine."

"You imagine wrong." The brunette smiled, extending her hand, "Helena, Helena Kyle."

"Joanne Woods, it's a pleasure." She shook her hand "The pictures don't do you justice."

"Excuse me?"

"You are more beautiful in person."

"Oh, thanks."

The woman lifted her hand and touched the girl's dark locks. "Your hair cut is really sexy."

Suddenly, the lights flickered on and off and the walls and floor trembled.

"What was that?" the woman said, looking around.

"No idea." The brunette looked up. The lights stopped flickering. "Well, it will be a pleasure to see you again."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, I need… I need to do something important."

"Wait…" the woman took her arm.

"Yes?"

The blonde took a card out of her wallet and put it in the hollow of her breasts. The brunette lifted an eyebrow. That was fast and unexpected.

"Call me," the woman said, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

-----------------------------------

The dark haired woman climbed on her bike and raced through New Gotham's streets. She wondered what that strange earthquake had been, but she was sure it was not normal. Barbara had disappeared from the museum, which meant she also knew the earthquake was weird.

Suddenly, a black bike appeared out of nowhere, matching her.

"You are becoming old and slow." Huntress said, "I expected you sooner."

"Well, it's not easy to hide a costume under a dress," Batgirl said. "I thought you wouldn't come. You looked very entertained by your new girlfriend."

"What can I say, some women find me irresistible."

"Sure…. Watch out!" the redhead shouted as soon as she saw a big hole in front of them.

"Oh damn…" Huntress growled, they couldn't stop in time.

"Jump!" the redhead shouted as she threw her bat-hook to the top of a building and extended her free arm to the brunette.

The young woman jumped toward the redhead, hugging her. Both were lifted to the top of the building.

Batgirl couldn't deny that it felt good having her that close. The brunette's hands had a strong grip on her.

She shook her head.

What was she thinking? She needed to focus on the mission.

Huntress looked down and saw her motorcycle breaking into pieces inside the big hole, which seemed to have been created by a big bomb.

"Oh man… I haven't finished paying for that bike," she complained.

"I have an extra pair of roller skates, if you want them," the redhead offered, landing on the top of an exit stairway.

"I don't think they would be useful when climbing buildings."

"Aren't you excited by getting me so close?" Huntress smirked at the redhead, who was holding her by her waist.

The older woman released her. "You wish."

The ground trembled again. Both took hold of the stairway rails.

"What's that?" Huntress asked, feeling the shake was stronger than the last one.

"You don't want to know," Batgirl said.

"What?"

The redhead pointed down. "Look who's here."

"Man-bat? That lunatic again?" The brunette rolled her eyes. They had fought against him at least four times and he would just not go away.

Kirk Langstrom worked as a Zoologist at the Gotham City Zoo, experimenting with bat mutigene to create a serum to replicate the creatures' long life. After testing the serum on himself, Langstrom became the vicious ManBat. Though Batman eventually cured Langstrom, his obsession with the power of the ManBat compelled him to take the serum again and again.

"Yeah." The redhead crossed her arms and rested her hips on the stairway rail. "Have to admit he is persistent. Now it seems he is playing with explosives."

"I'm going to kill you!" the brunette shouted, jumping down the stairway. "My bike was new!"

"Careful with your boots, there is mud down there," Batgirl said in amusement "A water pipe is broken."

------------------------------------------

The brunette, crouching on the ground, picked up piece of her bike in her hands. She sighed. It completely destroyed, no way to fix it. She'd have to keep working extra hours at the Dark Horse to pay for this piece of crap. She threw the mangled metal to the side and walked toward the redhead, who was righting her bike a few meters away.

"That was a bit rude," Batgirl said, wiping the seat of her motorcycle.

"Rude?" Huntress growled. "He messed up my bike. I'm sure he won't come back here again."

"After that beating, it'll at least be a long time."

"Want a ride?" the redhead asked, mounting her bike. "The police will surely be here soon."

"I guess, it's too late to take a bus." The brunette sat on the back of the bike. She put her hand around the redhead's waist. She had a thin waist.

Batgirl started up the bike and accelerated quickly down the street.

The brunette had to wrap her arms around her waist. It was a good excuse to press her body against Barbara's. She felt her long red hair brushing her cheek. She rested her cheek on the older woman's back, hearing her heart beat. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensation of having the woman she loved most in her arms. She had dreamt of this so many times. She took a deep breath to smell her.

Feeling her former ward's chest against her back sent shivers down the redhead's spine. It was incredible how her closeness could affect her senses. Huntress' hands were small but firm. She wondered what it would feel like to be touched by her.

Barbara couldn't understand herself. Some days she thought she wasn't in love with her, that it was a crazy trick of her mind, and other days she felt she couldn't live without her. It was so confusing-

She felt the brunette was moving her hand lightly against her side. The gentle touch was making her warm. She pressed the accelerator.

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**TBC**


	28. Opening my heart to you

**Thanks for your nice feedback, my editor Night and I, feel happy for it. We are glad you are enjoying this fic.**

**---------------------------------------------------**

They arrived at the Clock Tower, after a few minutes, and Batgirl parked her bike close to the elevator.

She dismounted her bike.

Huntress remained on the seat, her eyes glazed over. She was tense. The days after that night had not been easy, that night at the rooftop when Batgirl had... the thought of it still made her feel warm. The way the older woman had touched her, kissed her, still had her turned on like a Christmas tree.

After hearing her mentor's words, she'd thought for a moment that she'd just leave Barbara, the Clock Tower, everything, but… all her life was this, it was here.

But what kind of life was this? Drooling over a woman that wouldn't look at her. She needed to make a decision, and maybe she should move away.

"Huntress?" Batgirl called her, "Are you coming?"

The brunette looked at her in silence. She loved her, she loved her as she never thought she could love a anyone. It was her own fault; she had set her eyes on the wrong person. She needed to get over this and keep going.

"Huntress? Something wrong?"

"No, just thinking that I need another job to pay for my bike." The young woman climbed off the bike and followed her.

The redhead noticed something on the brunette's chest.

"What is that?" Batgirl pointed to her chest.

"What?" Huntress lowered her head and looked down.

Batgirl took out the card.

"Oh, just a note." The brunette remembered the blonde woman had given it to her.

"Mmmm…" Batgirl gave her back the note and pressed the elevator button. "If you'd told me you had a date, I would have given you a ride there."

"Date?"

"With your new girlfriend."

"She is not my new girlfriend." The brunette sighed, why did she insist that every girl on the planet was her girlfriend?

"Well, she was very friendly with you."

The brunette crossed her arms and stared at her a few seconds before saying: "Suppose she is my girlfriend, that bothers you?"

"Of course not." The redhead walked inside the elevator.

"Why does it bother you so much?" Huntress followed her.

"I'm not bothered. It's your life, not mine." Batgirl pressed the penthouse button.

"Well, so why are you so irritated, then?" The lithe woman leaned on one of the elevator walls looking at the older woman.

"I'm not irritated," Batgirl explained, trying to sound normal. The truth was that it really pissed her off, but it was not her business, "but sometimes I wish you could stop flirting with everything that has a skirt. You are worst than a gigolo."

Huntress straightened up angrily. "Are you calling me a gigolo?"

Batgirl rested her back on the opposite wall, crossing her arms "No, I'm saying it's not fair that you play with girls' feelings all the time."

"I don't play with feelings."

"No?" the redhead said with irony. "Then what do you call it when you have sex with them one night and drop them the next day?"

Huntress hit the stop button with a hard slam of her hand. The elevator stopped with a hard shake. That was enough, she was tired of this. She had reached her boiling point.

"Who are you to say that?" Huntress walked toward her "You are like me, no? You like to play with girls, too."

"I don't like to play with girls!" The redhead straightened and faced her. She didn't move, knowing Huntress was challenging her again. "I never play with people's feelings like you! I respect people."

"No? What did you do to me then?" The brunette moved inside Batgirl's personal space.

"What?" the experienced crime fighter was surprised by the question. She was nervous with Huntress being so close to her. The girl radiated an incredible energy… and sensuality, she didn't know why, when she was angry, she found it… so.. exciting?

"You fucked me and left!" Huntress growled at her.

"No! That is what you like, you are not looking for a serious relationship, come on!" Batgirl tried to press the green button of the elevator to get it moving again, but Huntress grabbed her wrist which such strength that she winced.

"And?" Huntress whispered angrily, just a few inches from the redhead's face. She never had felt so angry with her. "That gives anyone the right to fuck me like that?" she remained still, glaring at Batgirl, her eyes morphed to golden cat pupils. It sent a shiver down the red head's back. She felt the brunette's warm breath on her face and her agitation. She looked like a wild cat. A wild and beautiful cat.

The young woman closed her eyes and moved forward in slow motion, until her mouth was close to her ear and whispered: "You enjoyed it, no? You enjoyed touching me, teasing me, you enjoyed taking me to the edge…" she lowered her head and sniffed the redhead's neck. "I smelled you... your arousal."

The redhead was still, closing her eyes, Helena was moving her body sinuously against her, in an erotic dance. She felt Helena's head moving up, letting the fine hairs of her cheek caress her's. She opened her eyes to find cat pupils a few inches from her, staring at her lips, "Do you find it exciting? Or do you find me exciting?"

"Huntress…." Batgirl tried to remain calm.

"What about another quickie?" She grinned.

The redhead felt the ire consuming her. She pushed her back. "Fuck you!"

"That's what you did! No?" Huntress shouted, charging at her. Both struggled, the brunette grabbed Barbara's wrist and both fell to the floor. The brunette was on her in a blink holding her wrist.

"Helena," the red head said noticing her mistake that night "I didn't want to hurt you, I thought you wanted it," she said, trying to find the right words. "You always flirt and, and… you have tons of girlfriends. You always say you are a woman that doesn't like to be tied down. You have told me so many times…"

"Because I can't have you!" Huntress shouted, interrupting her. Why was she so blind? "Because I can only dream about you! I was sure you would always look at me as your protégée, your partner in work, the daughter of one of your best friends, a child! Because I was sure you would say we couldn't be together because of 'age' differences and that shit! You will never look at me as part of your life!"

"You are part of my life," Batgirl shouted back, "and I couldn't see you as much more than a friend because you flirt everyday with half the population of women in New Gotham!"

"What did you expect? That I stay in a corner, waiting for the moment that you turn to look at me?"

Batgirl felt her breath so close, her body pressing hard against her. She tried to free herself, but the dark haired woman kept her grip on her and rubbed her body in an almost indecent way over her as they struggled.

She finally stopped moving, Huntress was stronger.

"Do you know that you make me crazy?" Huntress growled, clenching her teeth, looking at Barbara's face. "I can't stop thinking about you, about how you touched me… how you make me feel…."

Batgirl stared at her, her eyes weren't looking at her with anger. It was different, there was something tender in her eyes, in the tone of her voice. Her lips almost touching.

"You don't know how many nights I dream of you," the young woman lowered the tone of her voice still looking at her. "You don't know how many times I dream of stealing a kiss…" Huntress let her mouth brush the redhead's softly. "You don't know how much it hurts…" she mumbled, her tongue lightly teasing the redheads mouth, asking for entrance, "…to be so close to you and so far…"

The redhead couldn't resist the tender touch and opened her mouth to her, they shared a long, soft kiss. Barbara felt in heaven, Helena was so tender, she kissed her back with all her heart.

The young woman moved back slowly dazed, her head down, the kiss had been… she had felt for a second Barbara loved her. She released the other woman's hands.

"Why did you fuck me?" she said in a barely audible voice and moved back, straddling Barbara's legs and resting her hands on her hips. "Why do you play with me?".

Batgirl was speechless for a few moments. She noticed the pain in those amazing eyes, it was her fault. Huntress was never so open with her emotions. She always kept all her feelings hidden behind an iron wall. She lifted herself up, supporting herself on her elbows.

"Can't you see it hurt me? I love you, Barbara…" Huntress whispered, she lifted her eyes to look at the redhead "I would never do that to you…."

The redhead stared at her, not finding words to say. Was Helena saying….?

"I would never fuck you, I can only love you… You are the most important woman in my life, you are the one that brightens my life every day."

The brunette dismounted the other woman and stood up, brushing her hair back with both hands. Now she felt stupid, she had opened her mouth too much. The redhead would now laugh at her. Shit.

Batgirl stood up, still stunned at the words. She had said she loved her.

"Helena… you?"

"Oh, come on," Huntress waved a hand, dismissing her words. "You don't care if I love you or not!"

"Of course I care!" the redhead said, feeling offended. "I love you, too!"

The brunette stared at her. "What?"

"I love you!"

"You don't…"

Barbara wrapped her arms around her and kissed her hard. After long seconds the brunette moved back breathless.

"You love me?" the brunette asked breathing heavily, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Of course I do, but… but," the redhead rested her forehead on Huntress', she found her words stuck "but you told me that you are not interested in long term relationships."

"I am, if that person is you." the brunette said.

"You never said that!" Barbara almost shouted.

"You never asked!"

"I'm not Dinah, I can't read minds! And, besides," Batgirl waved her hands moving back, "you go out with so many attractive women, I can't compete against them. They are young, stunning, and…"

"You are much more beautiful than all those women!" Huntress interrupted her.

"But you flirt with everything that moves!" Batgirl moved to the other side of the elevator.

"How could you ask me about fidelity when you are as infidel as me?" Huntress followed her.

"I was dating other people because I was trying to forget you!" The costumed vigilante turned to see her.

"Well, I was doing the same thing. What's the fucking problem?" Blue eyes flashed with anger. "You fuck whoever you want and I don't say anything… like Dick that night that we went to the bar!!"

"I didn't fuck Dick! I couldn't because the only person I love is you!" Batgirl shouted back. "Because I couldn't, knowing you were with Ashlee, in your apartment… fucking her!"

"I didn't fuck her!"

"Just for the record, I only dated one or two guys in my whole life, you have a whole harem behind you!"

"One or two?" Huntress frowned and faced her. "And what about all the girls that you have dated?"

"Me?"

Huntress walked slowly toward her. "Yes, all the girls you dated, I remember that moron… what's was her name?" She lifted her face for a second before fixing her eyes on emerald ones. "Kelly…"

The redhead opened her eyes wide.

"Yes," Huntress lifted her eyebrow, "yes, I remember you rubbing her name in my face all day, ´Kelly this´ and ´Kelly that'."

"Kelly… Kelly was nothing serious…." Batgirl made a face and took a step back.

"And Andrea?" Huntress asked, cocking her head. "And Nancy?"

Batgirl cocked her head too and shot back, "And what can you tell me about Kathleen, Huntress?"

"Kathleen was just a week long thing, nothing important…"

"And Amanda, the 'muscle machine,' that worked at the gym?"

The brunette suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"And Janice? And Francis?" The redhead put her fists on her hips.

"Oh, them…" Huntress bit her lower lip, thinking of how she might get out of this one.

"And the damn blonde from tonight that left her card in your cleavage? And 'Ashlee'?"

"Ashlee?"

"She is just a damn bitch!"

The brunette moved back lightly. "You never say so many bad words."

"I want to say them now!" the redhead growled. "You practically made love to her on the dance floor that night!"

"You let me hot and excited!" The dark haired woman scratched her head with her finger. "But… I can't deny it, Ashlee is hot."

Huntress didn't see it coming. She suddenly found her back against the elevator wall and Batgirl grabbing her coat with her fist.

"What?" the redhead growled, her face inches from her. "Hot? Do you think now that ´fake´ woman is hot, too?"

Huntress swallowed noticing the ire in green eyes. It was not her fault the other woman was gorgeous. Of course, not as gorgeous as Barbara, but she was gorgeous. "Well…"

"Her big breasts were faker than her hair color!" the redhead said. "And her nose surely cost a pretty penny." She moved forward and, taking Helena's face in her hands, she kissed her roughly on her lips.

Huntress was surprised and shocked and, for the first few seconds, she could only let the other woman take control. It was hard, intense, overwhelming, wonderful and she saw fireworks exploding around her.

Batgirl moved back, lost in the sight of Huntress features, she was so beautiful.

Both were breathless. Huntress kept her eyes closed, still dazed from the feelings that the kiss had made her feel.

"Does Ashlee kiss like that??" the redhead asked, panting.

The brunette shook her head, half opening her eyes. "No… that was a real kiss…" the brunette gasped.

"Yeah…" the redhead tried to clear her throat.

The brunette lifted her head to trap her lips again. It was an intense duel of tongues, an exchange of caresses and hidden desires.

Huntress rested her forehead on the redhead's and cupped the redhead's cheek with her palm. She felt was drowning in those green eyes. "Why did you do it, Barbara?" she asked panting.

"Why did I do what?"

"The other night… on the rooftop…"

The older woman smiled at her "I couldn't hold back my feelings for you, my love you. I just wanted to be with you, feel you… Every time I'm close to you… I just want to be with you…" She gave a soft kiss to Huntress' parted lips.

Huntress thought she was dreaming, but Barbara's eyes couldn't lie. "I love you, too…" she returned the kiss, pressing her body against her. Barbara loved her, she had said it, and she had been as jealous as Barbara. She wanted to consume the other woman, to mark her as hers. Suddenly, she heard a clicking sound and felt cold metal cold on her wrists.

Both moved back to take air and the young woman looked down. She had her hands cuffed to the rail of the elevator at her sides.

"Fuck…" she growled. What was her damn fixation with handcuffs?

"Shhh…." The older woman removed her gloves and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Now you are all for me…"

"Yeah?" the brunette grinned. Her heart. Her damn heart was beating so hard. Looking at those deep green eyes, at those red lips, her crimson hair, and the feeling of her body against her, Helena felt her eyes augmenting.

"Yeah…" Batgirl kissed her neck, making the brunette's skin crawl. "I want you."

A growl started to rumble in her throat.

The red head moved her lips up and nibbled the brunette's ear. The young woman closed her eyes, feeling the redhead's hand moving to her sides, caressing her body.

Bringing her mouth to the side of the redhead's face, she traced the delicate shell of Barbara's ear with her tongue. The feel of the older woman shifting, her long hands moving on her sides inflamed Huntress. Barbara placed her hands on Helena's breasts and made a strange and erotic moan that electrified the young woman.

The brunette wanted to touch her. When she tried to move her hands, she was unable to pull free and growled, frustrated.

"Please," she mumbled with a whine, "let me touch you…"

"Later…." The redhead lightly drew her hands across the younger woman's breasts and caressed them in slow circles until she stopped her movement at the top of her breast.

The sound of fabric ripping and buttons pinging off walls filled the place. The brunette's breasts were tanned and full; the tips hard and erect. Batgirl felt her mouth watering.

She trapped a breast in her warm mouth, causing Helena to gasp. The redhead's fingers lightly stroked the soft skin of her stomach, tracing her firm muscles. She couldn't get enough of her skin, she stroked her fingers on the brunette's back, dragging her palms across her sides, brushing her hands up her sides and upper chest. Moving, stroking, as her tongue licked and kissed a firm, brown nipple.

Eyes, once again blue, stared at the surreal vision of the redhead consuming her. She pulled on her hands annoyed.

"So beautiful." Batgirl knew she'd said something, but didn't know what. The young woman's arousal was palpable, hearing her raw gasp, her muscles clenching under her touch. She rested her hands on Helena's breasts, cupping the sides, her mouth lowered, bathing tan skin with her tongue.

She heard the other woman hiss, and felt her arch her back, looking for more contact. She heard the sound of chains clinging.

"Barbara…." Huntress gasped, "please, let me touch you."

The older woman seemed not to hear and she moved up, pressing melting kisses to her side, licking it with a tenderness that shot a bolt of arousal through the dark woman.

With one hand still stroking and teasing Huntress' left breast, The redhead hurried a turgid nipple into her mouth and was lost in sensations. She could feel the brunette's soft purring that made her chest vibrate; she suckled for long, slow minutes, feeling a wetness between her legs as Huntress' breaths came deeper.

The young woman rocked her hips against Batgirl's torso, inflaming the older woman who moved to the other breast and sucked hard, teasing at it with her tongue. She nipped hard, then laved the spot.

Huntress hissed.

The redhead smiled and repeated the movement. Her hands moved to the brunette's pants. The button flew when she pulled them open and she began to tug her pants down.

The brunette swallowed with effort and felt the air gone from her lungs, noticing Barbara was moving down her and the hungry gaze painted on her face. The older woman licked the top of her underwear and her left hand began to pull them down. She thought she would go crazy, feeling her warm breath so close….

"you are so beautiful." Batgirl stopped for a second, confronted with a gloriously nude Huntress, her wild and loved wild cat. She had seen every inch of the younger woman before, healing her wounds, comforting her, but it certainly hadn't been like this. She then kissed the brunette's left thigh as her hand caressed her knee.

From Huntress' mouth escaped a throaty growl, her clit was throbbing like crazy, the redhead felt a surge of heat rush between her legs and kissed her way down Helena's thigh. Emerald eyes peeked up towards golden cat pupils and the redhead smiled, seeing the desire and rapture in the young woman's face.

She moved toward her other thigh and kissed it too, slowly. She began to move up…

Huntress held her breath when the Barbara reached the juncture of her thighs, she halted her journey and locked her eyes with her.

"Please, Barbara…" she gasped, trying to break the binds that restrained her "Please…"

The redhead moved up and gave the brunette a bruising kiss, pressing her body hard against her and pressing her thigh between the young woman's legs.

The sensation of cold leather against her warm skin was incredibly erotic for the brunette and she pulled on her hands again. She wanted to feel Barbara's skin against hers, kiss each hollow of her body, trace her curves and be inside her.

"Shhh…. Easy…" Batgirl pressed her mouth to her ear. "You are so wet… Do you know how long I've wanted this?" The older woman moved her hand between the young woman's legs and the girl jumped under her caress "To touch you? To taste you? You are mine." She lowered her head and bit her hard on her shoulder. She wanted to mark her. The brunette winced and moaned.

"I love you…" Huntress panted through flared nostrils.

The redhead chuckled and trapped her lips again, this time with a tender, languid kiss that was all love. Then, she moved down, in an agonizingly slow movement, mapping the young woman's torso with her warm tongue.

"Barbara…" Huntress growled, almost hyperventilating when she noticed Batgirl between her legs.

The redhead fixed her eyes on the brunette before removing her cowl. She then moved her head in a practiced gesture, letting her hair flow to one side. She moved forward and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

It was a snarl that erupted from Huntress' throat as the redhead's tongue touched her aching center. Huntress arousal hit the stratosphere as she watched the older woman taste her, she grabbed the rails of the elevator where she was chained and pulled harder, bending it.

Batgirl moved one of the brunette's legs over her shoulder, not stopping her languid stroking, tasting her young lover, lost in the pleasure of the warmth of her lower center, lost in the flavor of her sweet salty nectar. She teased, she nibbled and licked.

Huntress' entire body trembled under her caress. She had a hard time remaining on her feet.

The redhead took her time exploring her. She felt her own body trembling in excitement. Having that incredible woman moaning in pleasure under her touch was overwhelming, the vision of Helena lost in pleasure and lust was erotic; her arousal filled her body.

Batgirl's tongue moved to the wild crime fighter's entrance.

Huntress pressed her fist against the rail, it broke under her strength. The brunette moved her slightly trembling hand to stroke through redhair, encouraging her to go deeper.

"Barbara, please…" she gasped.

Not breaking the rhythm of her stroking, the redhead moved her hand up and long fingers teased Huntress entrance until finally she filled it with slim fingers. The brunette howled as Barbara's mouth trapped her clit, the young woman's howl was a trigger that made Barbara herself come hard and rough. A bright light blinded Huntress as she orgasmed, too.

Her ears where filled by an intense buzz, and she felt was floating in the sky. Colored lights filled her vision and her entire body spasmed in pleasure.

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TBC


	29. I'm not dreaming

When Barbara became aware of time again, she was on top of Huntress's chest, her hand kneading one of the young woman's breasts while the brunette had her arms wrapped around her back and giving her soft kisses on her head.

"We must stop seeing each other like this," Huntress mumbled, staring at the ceiling of the elevator.

"Why?" the redhead asked with a sleepy voice.

"Well, you are freaking amazing, but… well, my back is the one that always ends up against the floor, my butt is protesting and…" she lifted her hand and showed her the broken cuff still attached to a piece of broken rail. "I dunno how to explain this…"

Barbara lifted her head to see the brunette's eyes. "You are so beautiful."

"You too." The young woman lifted her hand and, with the back of her fingers, caressed her cheek.

"I never thought you would look at me."

"I have always been looking at you. You are my life, you are my world."

"And what about all those other girls?" The redhead lifted her brow.

Huntress rolled her eyes "I'll give you all my address books if that makes you happy. I promise to never see any of those women again."

"Are you sure?" Barbara arched her eyebrow.

"Yes, but you must promise not to date Dick and Kelly and all those women anymore."

"Deal." The redhead winked.

"Really?" Blue eyes opened in surprise.

"Really."

"Good." Huntress pulled her against her and kissed her again. "Do you know what I want do to you now?" she mumbled between kisses.

"Whatever you are thinking, we must leave it for later…" the older woman moved back, grinning.

"Why?" the young crime fighter protested. "I still haven't touched you…. you are still over dressed in that armored suit."

"And you need to get dressed." Barbara smiled, giving her a fast kiss on her lips and standing up.

"Now?"

"The elevator has been stuck here for more than thirty minutes. Dinah is going to be suspicious that something is happening," Barbara said, picking up the brunette's pants and giving them to her.

"Shit…" the brunette looked at them. "You broke the zipper of my pants!"

"Yes, and they need to be laundered now. Close your coat."

"A short coat covers a ripped blouse, not pants…." The young woman sat on the floor, looking at herself and picking up the torn blouse from the floor. "Oh man… I'll need to buy more shirts."

"Excellent," the redhead winked at her. "I love the sound of your clothes ripping. It's like opening a birthday present, you love what's inside."

"I'll need a second job." The dark haired woman put her underwear in her pocket and took her pants.

"Good idea." The redhead pressed the green button and the elevator moved up again. "It's lucky you leave your clothes lying around the house, I guess there is something of yours, that's clean, in my bedroom."

"Hey wait." Huntress stood up putting on her pants "What do I do with these?" She showed her the handcuffs.

The redhead sighed and unlocked it with a key hidden on her belt. "I'll need to buy new ones, you always break them."

"What's the obsession with the cuffs?"

Barbara put her arms around her neck and gave her a brief kiss on her lips. "I can do with you whatever I want." She moved back and slapped her butt.

"And the rail?" the brunette asked, zipping her coat.

"I can tell Dinah that you had a tantrum." She picked up her cowl from the floor.

"Why me?"

"You are the only one that always has tantrums."

The elevator doors opened. Dinah was sitting in the living room, reading a magazine.

"Hey, I thought you had gone to the party," she said, seeing Barbara wearing her Batgirl costume.

The redhead stepped out of the elevator, brushing her hair with her fingers. "A last minute problem, but Helena fixed it with a quick fight."

The blonde frowned, looking at Huntress who was walking, holding the front of her pants. "What happened to your pants?"

"My bike hit the ground and I broke it," the brunette said, walking toward the redhead's room to change.

"How could you fight with one hand?"

"Practice." Barbara responded for her, walking toward the kitchen. "I'm starving, anything good for dinner?"

Dinah looked inside the elevator. It was a mess. "What happened there?" she mumbled.

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Barbara wrapped a towel around her body; she'd just taken a hot shower. She dried her hair with another towel and walked in her room. She sat on a bench in front of a mirror and rubbed her hair with the white towel.

She felt happy, happier than she ever thought she could be. Helena said she loved her, she had been jealous of all her lovers. Why had she been so blind? Why hadn't she seen it before? All her fears had vanished suddenly. She closed her eyes and smiled, when she had kissed her, when she had looked in her eyes. She could still could taste her on her lips, feel her skin trembling under her fingers.

She was a bit surprised with herself, she still couldn't understand what force possessed her that turned her so aggressive and demanding when she was with Helena.

Her gaze noticed a movement behind the curtains that covered her main window.

She slowly opened the drawer in front of her and took out her escrima sticks and a birdarang. She turned and threw the birdarang toward the person that was hiding behind the curtains.

"Fuck!" a voice growled and she heard a thump against her floor.

She stood up and prepared her sticks.

A dark figure rolled out from under the curtain.

"Helena?" the redhead asked, surprised.

The brunette held her head and sat up on the floor. "What the hell is wrong with you?" After the elevator she'd felt damn hot, no way she could just leave after Barbara had said she loved her.

She'd had a warm bath and changed her pants, found a shirt in one of Barbara's drawers. She wanted stay, but was worried the teenager would be curious about it. So she unlocked one of Barbara's windows before she went to dinner.

It had been a pleasant dinner, but she was damn itchy, dying to touch the redhead. She never thought Dinah's presence would annoy her so much. The worse part was that the teenager asked her help with some moves in the gym.

Barbara had said good night, that she was tired and needed a warm bath. Helena was dying to wrap her arms around her and kiss her, but, again, she had to suppress her need.

She had sparred with the teenager for almost one hour and, afterwards, she had said goodbye. However, instead of pressing the 'down' button, she pressed 'up', to the Clocktower apartment where they lived. She had jumped from the balcony to the terrace of Barbara's bedroom and opened the window that she'd left unlocked. She was going crazy to touch, taste, feel Barbara's skin under her fingers, to kiss each inch of her body, to make her cry in pleasure.

She had just crossed one leg over the window sill inside the room when she had felt a hard blow to her head and fallen down.

"I'm sorry, but you said you were going home after sparring with Dinah." Barbara moved the curtain to the side and noticed the upper window was opened. She closed and locked it. "Why didn't you just knock on the door?"

"Dinah is around, what did you expect?" Helena looked at her hand. Well, at least she wasn't bleeding. She scowled.

The older woman picked up her birdarang from the floor. "Dinah is always here, what's the problem?"

"I didn't want her to see me. It's too soon to start answering the questions of a curious teenager." The young woman stood up.

"Questions?" Barbara asked "About what?"

The young woman took Barbara's hand and pulled her close. She loved that she was so clueless sometimes. "About you and me." She leaned in to kiss her.

The kiss was soft, tender, Helena's lips traced Barbara's mouth slowly, teasing. Barbara felt her muscles tremble. She moved back and found herself lost in deep blue eyes that looked at her with so much love.

"I was so afraid," the redhead mumbled, resting her head on Helena's shoulder.

Helena enveloped her with her arms and rested her head against her's. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"That you would never see me… that you just thought of me like all your other girls, just to have fun and…."

"You are not like the other girls." Helena moved back and fixed her eyes on her. "How could you believe that?"

"I…. you… you always seem so…"

"I have dreamed of you for so long…" the brunette interrupted her. "I always looked at you, but you never saw me. I love you with all my heart and all my soul. I couldn't live with out you. I died every time I saw you with other people. I asked why it couldn't be me when I know you so well. I know you love to walk barefoot on Sunday mornings to feel the wood under your feet, I know you are in love with the night and English tea."

Barbara smiled at her; Helena's eyes were bright, almost violet, she wondered how it was possible that she hadn't seen the love in them before.

"You are grumpy all day if you don't drink your coffee every morning," the young woman grinned, "very hot with one spoonful of sugar. Your know every hit from the 80's and the name of the singer, including the number of weeks it was on the billboard.. You hum when you are happy and, when you are angry, you pinch the bridge of your nose. If you are mad at me, you push your eyeglasses up your nose with your index finger before turning to look at me."

"That's not true…"

Helena chuckled and hugged her again. "I love your smell, I love the way you look at me; I love the way you say my name and how you touch me." She pressed her lips against Barbara's head.

The older woman lifted her face and kissed the brunette, aroused by the strength of the arms holding her and the tenderness of her words.

Barbara pulled her closer, tracing her mouth with her tongue. Helena was all softness, but she couldn't hide her urgency and her need, she was passionate and sweet.

"I love how you move," the redhead mumbled, moving her hands below the hem of Helena's shirt, her nails scratching soft skin. "I love when you wear those short tops and those pants that are plastered to your ass. I love your smile when you grin at me and how you look at me... I love all of you". She bit the young woman's lower lip. "You snuck into my room like a thief… What do you want me to think?"

"That I want you…" Helena mumbled, trapping her mouth again, she wanted more of her lips, her skin, her touch. "That I want to be with you tonight…"

The brunette held her as close as she could, feeling more excited with each passing second with the teasing of the other woman's tongue against her. She moved her fingers with incredible skill and the towel wrapped around the redhead's body slipped to the floor, exposing bare skin. Her hands caressed her back, the most perfect back she had ever seen, and let her fingers travel down the length of Barbara's body until she found her buttocks and squeezed with her hands.

She lost control for a brief second and carried her across the room without breaking contact with her lips. She set her on the bed, she buried her nose into the crook of Barbara's neck and bit her gently. She was hers, she wanted to mark her. Barbara moaned in pleasure and Helena kissed the soft skin under her. She removed her coat with a fast movement and removed her boots with one hand before covering the older woman's body with her own.

"I've dreamed of you so many times --" Helena mumbled, moving her lips toward a soft, tender neck. She wanted to be gentle, to show her how great her love was. She kneeled on the mattress and straddled the redhead's hips. She moved her hands to her sides and opened the zipper of her jacket revealing her nude torso.

Helena was excited noticing by hungry flare of Barbara's nostrils, her set jaw and her dilated green eyes, staring at her with lust.

Barbara's sat up, impulsively, and kissed the bare skin above the brunette's chest. Her warm tongue washed around a brown nipple.

Helena closed her eyes and her palms cradled the other woman's crimson hair and let the sensation of silken lips and the warmth of Barbara's breath hit straight to her center.

Barbara took one of Helena's breasts in her mouth and sucked, fierce and insistent. Helena pressed forward, into the pressure. She moved her hands to the waist of Helena's pants, fingers hooking through the button and tugging softly. Her hands moved to her back, following the waistband of her pants until she was at her butt.

"Remove this…" Barbara said in a hoarse voice, looking at her. It tickled her ribs, her belly.

Helena opened her eyes, they were not longer blue, they had changed to an intense gold, she felt a hard throbbing between her legs. She moved back and yanked her pants and underwear off with a fast movement. She let her hands touch the porcelain skin of the redhead's legs, she bent down and began to plant a trail of tender kisses.

The older woman closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet movement of Helena's lips and tongue on her legs, her thighs.

Helena, lost in pleasure, mapped each inch of Barbara's body. She had dreamed, fantasized so many years of touching her, kissing her, loving her, that she wanted go slow, enjoy each moment to remember it forever.

Barbara's arousal hit her straight in her nerves. She stopped her slow lovemaking when she was at her hips, the musky scent coming from her center filled all her senses, her muscles trembled in pleasure. She opened her mouth, scenting the other woman. She wanted her, she wanted her so much. She rested her forehead on the older woman's hips, trying to regain her control, all her muscles trembled. She moved up, rubbing her body against Barbara.

The sensation of hard, firm nipples against her skin made the redhead moan in pleasure. When she opened her eyes, golden cat eyes were regarding her with such love, that she never thought she could feel from one look.

"I love you." The brunette, supporting herself on her arms, lowered herself, looking for Barbara's lips. The movement was slow, letting her breasts press softly against Barbara's.

It was when Barbara felt Helena's soft purr vibrating against her chest that she gasped. The young woman swallowed the throaty groan and traced the contour of her lips with her tongue. She nipped and sucked tenderly at her lower lip.

The redhead's hands, wrapped through dark hair, remained passive for long minutes under Helena's caresses. The brunette marveled, Barbara making love was sweet, soft… And when she was Batgirl she was aggressive, dominant, demanding. Her right hand moved down and cupped the redhead's breast. She pressed her hand against the soft mound and she took Barbara's nipple between her fingers, pulling.

Barbara's body shivered when she felt Helena rub her wet core against her thigh and rock it slowly.

Helena deepened her strokes, trying to take all of the other woman, trying to drown in her. She ducked her head and laved Barbara's breast with her tongue, like a kitten lapping. She worked her free hand to the other breast, brushing flesh with the pad of her thumb. A growl vibrated in her chest.

It was the most erotic sound Barbara thought she had ever heard. Her hands buried in silken dark hair and brushed her scalp, enjoying the warmth of Helena's mouth enveloping her.

"Helena…" Barbara's whisper was breathy, needy; she felt her clit throbbing harder. She was overwhelmed by Helena's murmurs of pleasure and her lover's natural rumbling. Helena's tender ministrations deepened her own passion, inflaming her.

Helena scraped her teeth across Barbara's nipple, her right hand moved lower and touched Barbara's lower lips. The redhead bucked and moaned loudly as Helena sucked in as much as she could and began to move her hand gently against Barbara's wet core.

The brunette continued the soft movement of her hand and Barbara began to rock her hips against her hand.

Barbara pulled the young woman's face to her.

Reluctantly, Helena moved up and Barbara trapped her lips in a rough kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Please, Hel.." she mumbled, moving back breathless, "please… inside me…"

Helena's eyes regarded her with love. "How I want you…"

"I love you."

The brunette moved to kiss her and moved her fingers to her opening. "Fuck," she growled. "You are so wet." A teasing finger began to move inside slowly.

The redhead buried her hails in the young woman's back and gasped. Helena began to move her index finger in slow movements and, after a few seconds, there were two fingers working inside her.

Helena began to rock her core against the redhead's thigh. Their bodies moved in an erotic dance for long minutes, finding the rhythm they needed.

Helena fixed her eyes on green ones, which were now lost in pleasure. Barbara's pupils were dilated and moist, she was gasping, aching for more, her neck arched. She was so beautiful. Helena twisted her fingers, and Barbara was riding her. She licked the redhead's neck, hearing whimpers for more. She increased the pace of her fingers.

The redhead cried out her release and Helena kissed her on her lips. She moved down, trailing wet kisses over Barbara's torso. She stopped at the juncture of Barbara's thighs and inhaled deeply. She had wanted for so long to taste her. Carefully, she spread her legs and lowered her head.

She moved her tongue shyly and let it caress the wet skin. She growled in pleasure, tasting the sweet scent that was just Barbara, her strokes were slow and long.

Barbara was still recovering from her orgasm when she felt a warm tongue lapping at her wet center. She tried to protest, but Helena's ministrations broke all her coherent thoughts. She couldn't believe Helena would take her to the edge again so soon.

Helena was lost tasting and her tongue circled the other woman's entrance. She felt fingers on her head, pressing her against Barbara's sex. She happily moved forward and let her tongue slide inside. Barbara bucked under her touch and she had to wrap her arms around the redhead's thighs to keep control. She moved inside her for long minutes, her own body on fire as she listened to Barbara whimpers and short gasps, feeling her body shivering under her touch.

Barbara's world exploded again, her eyes were blinded by a bright white, all her muscles locked in a rictus of release.

And then… a deep blackness enveloped her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The older woman opened her eyes slowly and she smiled, feeling the warmth of Helena's body beside her and her light purr vibrating on her chest.

"Hi…" the brunette whispered, giving her a soft kiss to her jaw.

"Hi…" Barbara opened her eyes, finding tender blue pupils fixed on her.

"Are you okay?"

"I have never felt so alive…"

"Really?" Helena couldn't avoid feeling proud of herself.

"You are wonderful." Barbara moved her hand behind the brunette's head and kissed her, this time the kiss was different. She felt her nerves on the edge, tasting herself on the young woman's lips. She deepened the caress with languid, yet hard strokes. "I love you so much," she mumbled.

"Can I propose to you now?" Helena mumbled between kisses.

Barbara laughed. "You are crazy."

The young woman moved back and let her hand caress the redhead's arm. Her fingers stopped on her wrist, she smiled and moved her index finger between the Barbara's skin and the bracelet she had given her as a gift on her birthday.

"You are wearing it…" she said.

"Always."

"Never forget what's written on it…"

"The 'Will you marry me now?'"

The dark head nodded and leaned to kiss her again. "Maybe someday I will convince you."

******************************

Dinah ate her sandwich. She still had time to finish her breakfast. Her next class wasn't until 10 am. She felt happier than she had been in a long time. Barbara had been very nice with her and helped her. She now had a room, her own place, new friends, and, most importantly, she had learned to accept herself.

Since she was a kid, she'd felt like a kind of freak. She thought many times that her skills were a kind of sin. Now, she felt pretty comfortable with herself.

Alfred was very nice with her and Helena, in her own way, too. Suddenly, Helena walked into the kitchen, surprising her.

"Hi kid," she greeted, humming happily. She was wearing a long t-shirt.

"Hi." That ability to be silent as a cat made has startled her many times. Maybe she needed to get her a cat bell. Helena took a bottle of milk and a package of pop tarts off a shelf, then opened the bag. She put the poptarts in the toaster.

Wait a second. Helena. At home this early. And just wearing a long shirt?

For Helena, there hadn't been much sleep last night, but who cared about that? She was not going to object. In fact, she would look forward to more nights like that.

She had awakened late to find the redhead had gone to work. She was always loyal to work. But she had left her a note on her pillow saying it had been the most wonderful night of her life and that she would see her soon. Then, she had buried her nose in Barbara's blankets, smelling her.

The blonde rested her chin on her hand and looked at Helena, smiling.

The poptart jumped out the toaster and the brunette grabbed it. She sat at the table to eat it and noticed the blonde was staring at her.

"What?" she brunette asked.

"Finally?" Dinah winked at her.

"Finally?" Helena repeated, biting her poptart.

"You and Barbara."

"We are doing okay."

"Oh, come on, tell me, was it good?"

"Are you crazy?" Helena looked around, hoping Alfred wasn't nearby. "What are you talking about?"

Dinah sighed and crossed her arms on the table. "That is Barbara's shirt."

"Barbara always lets me borrow her clothes."

The teenager leaned back in her chair. "You two almost killed each other over the last few months and, suddenly, now she lets you stay at her room and borrow one of her night shirts? Sure, and I'm Superman."

"I stay in her room sometimes."

"Not when she is angry at you."

"Well, we talked and we… we," Helena waved her hands, "fixed all our problems."

"Did she tell you that she loves you?"

A blush colored the dark haired woman's cheeks. She couldn't suppress a smile and lowered her head to look at her poptart.

"She told you!" the blonde shouted and stood up.

"Dinah!" Helena was embarrassed that Alfred could hear them. Suddenly, the teenager was on top of her, hugging her.

"I'm so happy for you!" Dinah said.

Helena couldn't avoid smile and hug her back. "Thanks so much, kid."

"Tell me, tell me," the girl pulled up a chair to sit close to Helena. "What happened?"

"Short story… we are doing pretty well." A big smile graced Helena's face.

"Did you stay with her last night?"

Helena bit her lower lip and nodded, grinning.

"That is so cool!" Dinah jumped in her seat "Was it good?"

"It was fantastic."

"So… now is she your girlfriend?"

"Uhh… Well…" the brunette hesitated, "I didn't ask her."

The teenager rolled her eyes "But you made love, no?"

"Dinah!"

"Well, you did."

"Yes, yes, but…." Helena blushed again.

"All right, you told her you love her," Dinah said, "and she told you she loves you…. you stayed together a whole night…. Two plus two, she is your girlfriend."

"I guess… I'm not good at this."

"You've had tons of girlfriends. Don't tell me that."

"Yes, but you know that Barbara is different… I didn't ask her."

Dinah hit her playfully on her forehead. "So what are you waiting for? Ask her, moron!"

******************************

**TBC**


	30. Wonderful night

The brunette walked into Barbara's office, she had flowers in her hand and felt as nervous as a damn teenager. She couldn't understand what strange effect the redhead had on her that always made her so nervous. She was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt with a red rose and black pants.  
"Hi, Carol," she greeted Barbara's assistant.  
"Hi, Miss Kyle." The woman smiled at her.  
"Is Barbara here?"  
"Yes… nice flowers," she commented. "Someone gave them to you?"  
"Oh no, no… they're for Barbara…"  
"Oh… I see. A new admirer for Miss Gordon…." Carol pressed a key on her phone. Helena smiled nervously. "Miss Gordon, Miss Kyle is here, yes…." She looked at Helena "Go on in."  
"Thanks." The brunette smiled happily and walked inside. The redhead stood up as she talked on her phone. She was looking through the window behind her desk. Wow, Barbara looked wonderful wearing white clothes, she had a long while blouse, her red hair fell freely over her shoulders.  
Barbara turned and smiled at Helena, waving her hand. When she saw the arrangement, she pointed to herself questioningly.  
The brunette bobbed her head, closing the door behind her and walked toward her.  
"A second, George." Barbara put the handset over her shoulder and wrapped her free arm around the other woman's back, pulling her against her to give her a brief kiss. "The flowers are marvelous. Thanks, Helena."  
"Glad you like them."  
"I'm glad you are here."  
"Me too."  
The older woman moved the speaker to her ear. "Yes, yes, George. I agree. Listen, I need to go, can I call you later? Thanks." She hung up the phone and immediately wrapped her arms around the young woman. "You never come here in the middle of the day. What brings you here?"  
"A redhead?" The brunette leaned in to kiss her, wrapping her arms around her waist. The touch of the redhead's tongue against hers was magic. It was a long, tender caress.  
"Do you have to work today?" The brunette moved her head back a few inches and kissed the woman's jaw. She bit her chin, gently.  
"I'm afraid so…" Barbara mumbled, closing her eyes and enjoying the brush of the young woman's mouth against her jaw and neck. "I have two meetings…. And a kiss… and a conference call…" It was hard to think with that marvelous tongue working on her.  
"A kiss?" Helena smiled, moving to her pulse point and pressing her body hard against her.  
"I mean… a briefing…."  
"Shame .. I was thinking about taking you to lunch and, later, taking you as dessert."  
"Dessert?"  
"Yeah…" Helena growled, licking her neck "You are so sweet… I love sweet."  
Barbara moved back, laughing. She lifted her finger and traced the contour of the brunette's cheek. "I love you."  
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Helena fixed her eyes on green ones.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Uh…" the young woman hesitated a brief second, "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"  
"Why the question?"  
"I would like you to be…"  
"And all your other girlfriends?"  
"I just want you."  
Barbara took a second to think. It confused the brunette. Was she really thinking about it?  
"Knowing your reputation, perhaps I should accept." Barbara smirked.  
"Is my reputation so bad?" blue eyes frowned.  
"No, it's very good for all your ex-girlfriends. It worries me. I don't want anyone else involved, just you and me."  
"I'm now a just one nerd girl."  
"One nerd girl?"  
"It means I'm all yours." Helena extended her hands. "What about marrying me now?"  
Barbara chuckled.  
"Hey, I'm ready." The brunette wrapped her arms around her again. "I finally found my perfect soul mate." She leaned to kiss her.  
"It means…" Barbara mumbled between the kisses, "That the only woman in your life is me?"  
"You always have been." Helena moved back, looking inside her handbag. "I brought you something." She took out some notebooks and put them on the redhead's desk.  
"What is this?" Barbara frowned and took one of the notebooks.  
"The black list."  
"The 'black list'?"  
"Yeah, all my address books…" Helena sat on the desk looking at her, she never tired of looking at her. She was so beautiful.  
Green eyes opened wide when she began to turn the pages. "All these are girl's phone numbers?"  
"Yes, e-mails too…."  
"Helena," Barbara put a hand on her waist and narrowed her eyes. "What were you thinking?"  
"Me, nothing. Almost all the girls found me and gave me their phone number. The ones that I hunted are in the red one."  
Barbara glared at her. "I hope you have broken up with all."  
"Promise." The brunette lifted her hand. "Can you go to lunch with me, then?"  
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I talked with Dick this morning and I have a lunch with him today."  
"Lunch? With that asshole?" Helena's eyes snapped open.  
"I must break up with him! Doing it over the phone is not right," Barbara said, dropping Helena's notebooks in the trash.  
"Who cares if it's right or not? I don't want you to go to lunch with him."  
The redhead smiled at her. "Don't tell me you are jealous?"  
"I'm not jealous," the brunette said, defending herself.  
"No?" The redhead arched her brow and cocked her head.  
"No." The young woman shook her head.  
"So, I can go to lunch with him, because you are a very confident person." The redhead walked toward her and took her hand. "You are much more beautiful than he is."  
"And smarter?" Helena lifted her left brow.  
"Yes, much smarter." Barbara's hand caressed the brunette's arm.  
"And charming?"  
"Absolutely." The redhead moved her arms around her neck.  
"What about gorgeous?" the young woman asked.  
"Definitely."  
"Hot?"  
"So hot that you make me crazy." Barbara laughed lightly kissing her briefly on her lips.  
"Sexy?"  
"As hell…" The redhead gently bit Helena's lips. "I'm only yours."  
"I like that." Helena smirked. "Can you say the part about me being hot again?"  
"Shut up and kiss me."  
The young woman was more than happy to oblige.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything had been perfect.  
Barbara looked so beautiful that night. She had chosen a sexy leather outfit that had her drooling all time. Since the moment they had stepped out that oversized vehicle that she called a "car", the Hummer, she had taken her hand and she hadn't let go all night.  
Helena had chosen a cool bar that had recently opened. The music was perfect. While they were at her table, some friends had come closer to greet the redhead and Barbara had stood up, taking her time to talk with them. Helena had excused herself to go to look for something to drink.  
"Two Grey Gooses, please."  
"Sure, madam," the barman said.  
Helena turned to see the dance floor. It was full of people.  
"Well, well, it seems you finally caught Barbara Gordon," a voice close to her said.  
"Huh?" She turned and found a really tall woman next to her. She had the biggest breasts Helena had ever seen and her blouse was open in the front, exposing an enormous amount of skin. It seemed she was some kind of magnet for this kind of woman. Man, for her size, her parents were surely vikings or something like that.  
"I hunted her for years, but she never noticed me," the woman said, drinking from her glass. "I have seen her with some people, but I have never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you. She can't take her eyes off you. How did you trap her?"  
"Oh… well," the brunette smirked, remembering that night on the rooftop. "The truth is that she trapped me. It's our first formal date."  
"I see." The woman eyed her in a way that made the brunette felt uncomfortable. "What's your name, beautiful?"  
"Helena." The brunette blushed and looked towards Barbara's place; maybe the redhead could rescue her, but the she was distracted, talking with a man.  
"She has a very good taste." The woman moved closer to her. The brunette tried to move back, but there was a chair behind her. "And tell me, Helena, do you want to have fun after you finish your date with her tonight? You aren't a just 'one woman' girl, are you?"  
The brunette stared at the woman's cleavage for a moment, it was impossible not to stare. Surely, it had taken at least three plastic surgeries.  
Barbara said goodbye to her friend and turned her head, looking for Helena. After a few seconds, she saw her small frame at the bottom of the bar. A big woman, real big, seemed to be flirting with her. She smiled, the brunette's face was priceless.  
"Hi Barbara…"  
The redhead turned. "Ohh… Hello, Kelly." She had seen her for the last time a couple of months ago.  
"How have you been?"  
"Fine, fine, I'm glad to see you. It's been a long time."  
"Yes, work, travel stuff." The woman shrugged her shoulders. She extended her hand and took some strands of Barbara's long hair between her fingers. "You look especially stunning tonight, your eyes are bright, do you know why?" She did a paused and smiled. "You are in love."  
Barbara smiled and lowered her face. "Am I that obvious?"  
"I have always told you, but you never listened to me," Kelly said, crossing her arms. "I was right to be jealous of her."  
"Kelly…" the redhead looked her straight in her eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't…"  
"Oh, don't worry, I knew soon or later you would open your eyes and see the truth in your heart. It was only a matter of time, I was just trying to win your heart before you realized it."  
"She is marvelous."  
"And crazy about you."  
"Did you know? How?" Barbara put her hands in the pockets of her pants. "You only met her a couple of times."  
"You really were blind, my dear. You could see it in her eyes…."  
The redhead chuckled. "Yea, I usually don't see the obvious."  
"I wish you the best," Kelly took her hand "You are an incredible woman."  
"Thanks."  
At the bar, Helena was still wondering how to get away from the assault of the woman that was cornering her.  
"Your beverages, madam," the barman said, putting two glasses on the counter.  
Saved by the bell.  
"Have you ever been with a real woman, dear?" the woman asked.  
"I'm dating one," the young woman responded, picking up her drinks "you must try it, it's fantastic."  
She hurried her way back to her table; she stopped in her tracks when she saw Barbara and Kelly. Both were smiling. She couldn't avoid a hint of jealousy invading her.  
The woman gave Barbara a kiss on her lips.  
The hint of jealousy turned into an earthquake.  
Kelly turned and disappeared into the crowd. She took a deep breath before resuming her walk to her table. The redhead seemed to be lost in her thoughts.  
"Pamela Anderson is after your ass now?" the redhead asked distractedly when she arrived.  
"Well, she said she was after yours, but I guess she wanted to know the merchandise that you had chosen over her." Helena took a sip of her drink, she really needed it.  
"I don't know her." Barbara turned to look at her date.  
"Yeah, she said you never looked at her, maybe, for that reason, she increased her breast size at least five sizes… She wanted you to notice her." The young woman moved her hands as if she was holding a big balloon "You need three hands to hold one of those."  
The older woman laughed hard. "You looked like a cornered rabbit."  
"Well, I was." She licked her lips. She wanted to ask about Kelly, but something inside her told her she just needed to trust the redhead. After all, she had chosen her. She said she loved her and…  
"Kelly was here." Barbara interrupted her thoughts.  
"Really?" the brunette asked, trying to feign surprise.  
Barbara smirked. "She was saying goodbye."  
"Goodbye?" That was really good news.  
"Yes, and she was very nice."  
The music changed to a Kelly Clarkson song. The brunette put her drink on the table and extended her hand. "Would you like to dance?"  
"Enchanted." Barbara took her hand.

_I see forever when I look in your eyes  
Your all I ever wanted. I always want you to be mine  
Let's make a promise till the end of time  
We'll always be together, and out love will never die_

_So here we are face to face and heart to heart  
I wan't you to know we will never be apart  
Now I believe that wishes can come true  
'Cause I see my whole world. I see only you_

"Why didn't you ask me?" The redhead wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulders.  
"Ask you what?" Helena closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the other woman's.  
"You saw Kelly."

_When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes_

"Yes, I saw you."  
"And you saw her when she kissed me."  
The young woman sighed deeply. "Yes, I saw that too."  
"Why you didn't ask about it?"

_I've looked for you all of my life  
Now that I've found you, we will never say goodbye  
I can't stop this feeling, there's nothing I can do  
'Cause I see everything, when I look at you_

The brunette opened her eyes and lifted her hand to caress with Barbara's face. "You said you loved me. I trust you. I have always trusted you with my life." She moved forward and rested her head on her shoulder.  
The redhead smiled and wrapped her arms around her, closing her eyes.

_When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you  
And it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true  
When I look into your eyes_

_Ohhhh_

_When I look into your eyes  
I can see how much I love you and it makes me realize  
When I look into your eyes  
We will always be together, and our love will never die  
When I look into your eyes  
I see all my dreams come true, when I look into your eyes  
When I look into your eyes_

Helena felt like she was dreaming. Life was wonderful.  
And then…  
The damn Delphi alarm had interrupted them.  
And now, here she was, fighting on a cold night against one of those nuts that wanted to rule the world and who had ruined a perfect romantic night. He had a group of almost 500 hostages inside a restaurant in front of New Gotham Bay. It seemed he wanted media attention. Batgirl, herself and Dinah had interrupted.  
He called himself "Heavy Man" and it seemed he was not joking, however lame his moniker. His skin was all painted in a silver color; it seemed things would be a bit harder than she thought.  
"Go and help Dinah," Batgirl said to her.  
"No, let me do this, he screwed our night." The brunette moved forward. The truth was that the man seemed to be really strong, and she didn't want the redhead to get hurt. Of course, Barbara hated it when people were overprotective of her, so she couldn't say that, and she didn't want risk her anyway.  
She knew she was in trouble when her fist landed on his chest and it was like hitting a concrete wall.  
"Fuck!" she growled, holding her hand.  
"What's wrong?" Batgirl shouted.  
"Get out of here!" the brunette growled as she jumped and, with her momentum, made the man fall backwards. She would try to distract him while her partners helped all those people get out.  
"Dammit…" The brunette shook her hand. "What kind of makeup do you use?"  
"I hate being interrupted!" he shouted, throwing a punch at her.  
She managed to dodge it and the force of the impact broke a wooden pillar in half.  
She lifted her brow. Great. She was fighting a meta-human that was a from a family of iron men.  
She jumped in the air and, using her hands as a hammer, she hit him on the back of his head. He stumbled a few steps forward.  
But it seemed that had pissed him off. He angrily lifted a table and threw it at her. She ducked, she needed to think fast. How to defeat a man that was all iron?  
He broke a piece of the bar and threw it at the people that were trying to escape.  
"Dinah!" she shouted.  
The teenager turned in time and stopped it in mid-air.  
"I'll help Huntress," Batgirl said.  
"No! You must hurry, get everyone out!" Huntress shouted at them on her mic and charged toward the big man.  
"Working on it!" Batgirl responded.  
Everything had been perfect, the music, the dance, Barbara, her soft touches… but now she needed focus on the fight.  
Huntress used her hands as a hammer again and hit the man strongly on his jaw. It had hurt like hell, but it worked, he stumbled back against a wall. She tried to hit him again, but he held her wrist.  
"Dammit." She growled, trying to free herself, but his hands were like pincers.  
He turned his head and noticed a grey cage. His hand smashed the box that protected the high voltage cables. He took one in his hands and pulled it, the cable broke and the electricity ran through his body.  
Oh fuck.  
Huntress knew she was in trouble. She pulled her hand, trying to free herself unsuccessfully. The electricity hit her. She cried out, feeling the voltage running through her.  
"Die bitch!" he shouted.  
Her body shook with the strength of the energy. He released the cable, but kept his grip on her hand and the brunette fell to her knees, dazed.  
Oh crap, that had hurt. Huntress tried to recover her breath. Her entire body felt numb and she was pretty certain her brain was melting.  
The redhead heard Huntress' cry. She turned, but couldn't see anything. People were pushing and blocking her view. She hurried the people outside.  
"Do you like it bitch?" he grinned bending to look her.  
"Fuck you." Huntress managed to say. It was hard trying to speak. She put her hand over his and pulled his fingers, trying to free herself from his grip.  
"I see, you want to keep playing." He took the electric cable again and the electricity ran through his body.  
The brunette growled when the electricity hit her again. Her body shook under the strength of the discharge. Her necklace short circuited.  
"Beg me…" he smirked angrily .  
Huntress convulsed and her eyes rolled back. He released her hand before she lost consciousness. The young woman fell heavily to the floor. Her clothes were humming.  
"Stand up, bitch!" he shouted. His body was glowing with the energy running through him. "Come on!"  
Huntress fought against the darkness that was enveloping her, she found it difficult to open her eyes. He was playing with her. He sounded far away, distant, her hands and body hurt like hell. The strength of the discharge had been strong. Her body refused to obey her. She needed to keep distracting him or he would try to hurt the people that Dinah and Barbara were trying to help. It took her a great effort to roll on her side.  
"What? Is that all you have, Huntress?" he laughed.  
She swept his feet with her legs and he fell backwards. She kneeled and tried to stand up, her legs trembled under her weight.  
A hard kick in her ribs knocked the breath out of her. Her back hit the closest wall. Man, now he was really pissed.  
"Come on, Huntress, time to fight daddy." The man lifted her by her coat and slammed her face with his fist before throwing her against the bar and breaking it in pieces. The young woman covered her face with her hands and winced, feeling a piece of glass scratching the flesh of her left arm.

---------------------------------------

**TBC**


	31. Heavy man

Heavy Man picked up the electric cable again and walked toward her.

"Huntress?" Batgirl was finally able to move out of the crowd of people and felt her heart stop when she saw the vigilante lying on the floor, moving restlessly. The man was walking toward Huntress with a big electric cable in his hand left hand. His body shimmered with the electricity running over him. She took out her batarang from her belt and ran toward them.

"I said, stand up!" the man yelled, bending down and lifting Huntress by her neck.

Huntress cried out and her body convulsed violently. Everything around her went dark.

"Die bitch!!" he laughed.

Batgirl's batarang wrapped a rope around his neck and she pulled with all her strength. The big man released the young woman, who fell to the floor, unconscious.

He was startled and pulled the cable, sending the redhead flying to the other side of the room. Her back hit against some tables. He was really strong.

"Come here!" he shouted at her. "I'm waiting for you!"

She stood up and analyzed her possibilities. She couldn't fight him, he was strong, and he wasn't going to release the high voltage cable that he had in his hands. Huntress was lying on the floor a few meters from him, unmoving. She needed to help her. .

He was standing close to the bar. An idea came to her mind, but she needed to move fast.

She began to walk slowly toward him, taking two batarangs from her belt. "So, you say your name is Heavy Man?"

"I know you, Batgirl, you are planning something. Are you coming from your friend?"

"No, I come for you." She took her first batarang and threw it with force. It hit the faucet of the sink behind him, breaking it. The water flowed hard and hit his back, he was still holding the high voltage cable and yelled.

At the same time, she threw the second batarang that had a hook. It pierced the brunette's coat and she pulled hard to move the young woman away from him.

The thug's clothes began to burn. Annoyed, he began punch the air.

Batgirl took the unconscious woman by her arm when she could reach her and dragged her back. The tall man broke a gas tube.

"What happened?" Dinah arrived at that moment.

"Let's get out of here! Help me!" the redhead shouted.

The teenager helped her to move Huntress out of the place.

They were just a few meters out the place when it exploded and they were pushed to the ground by the force of the explosion. Objects began to fall around them. The older woman lifted her head and saw the girl had protected them with a force field.

"You are improving." The redhead complimented with a smile.

"Thanks." Dinah brushed off her coat, as she sat on the ground.

"Huntress?" The redhead moved toward the brunette. Her clothes were burned and torn; she put her hand on the brunette's neck. Her pulse was erratic. "Huntress, can you hear me?"

"Is she all right?" Dinah asked, noticing her bent arms and her open, stiff hands. She took one of her wrists and observed it. "Her hands are burned."

"What?"

The teenager showed her one of Huntress hands, it was red and blistered.

"Dammit," the redhead mumbled. She removed the necklace from around the brunette's neck and clapped her cheeks gently, "Hel, come on, wake up…"

The young woman half-opened her eyes, but her gaze was lost.

"Helena? Come on." Barbara took her face between her fingers to look at her. "Look at me…Helena?"

The girl closed her eyes again.

"What happened to her?" Dinah asked feeling nervous.

"He tried to electrocute her." Barbara opened the brunette's coat "Anyone else would be dead. We need to take her home right now. Get the Hummer; in the back, there is a bag with electroshock equipment. Get it ready."

"What?"

"She could have a heart attack, we need to be ready. The nerve signals may be affected and her heart cannot beat properly. Hurry."

Dinah obeyed.

Barbara turned to see the brunette and brushed her hair back with her hand. "Huntress," she whispered, "look at me… It's me, Barbara…" She felt a knot in her throat. "Helena? Please? Come on, I know you can hear me."

Blue eyes half-opened slowly and fixed on the masked woman.

"Hey, sweetie," the redhead smiled.

The brunette kept staring at her not saying a word.

"Don't worry, you will be fine," Barbara said, cupping her cheek with her hand, "I'm here with you."

Blue eyes began to close.

"I love you," Barbara said, kissing her head. "I need you, hold on…"

Huntress' eyes closed and she fell unconscious again.

* * *

Dinah helped Barbara to move the brunette in the redhead's room after she had treated her wounds. Barbara rested a brunette head carefully on the pillow as Dinah covered the unconscious woman with the bedspread. She had put a breather in her nose to give her full oxygen and help her recover faster; luckily, her heart was strong and her pulse was back to normal.

"Will she be okay?" the teen asked worried, her young partner had some burns around all her body.

"Yes," the redhead replied, taking the brunette's bandaged hands and moving them on top of the bedspread. "She is strong…"

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No, Dinah, thanks." Barbara smiled and took her arm gently "She always heals quickly, I just need to keep an eye on her to be sure she is doing okay. You helped lot today, you must be tired. Go to sleep…. You did a good job."

"Do you think?"

"Yes, you are improving."

"But.." Dinah looked at Helena, "I didn't help her… I could have and I didn't."

"Dinah, neither of us saw it coming. Don't blame yourself. You really did a good job. Now, go to sleep, you and I need rest too. We can talk about this tomorrow."

The teenager gave her a good night kiss and closed the door behind her. Barbara turned her attention to Helena, she brushed her hair. She still couldn't believe how blind she had been, Helena had loved her for years…. She was always on her mind, but since the first time she had touched her soft skin, she couldn't stop thinking of being with her again.

"I love you," Barbara mumbled, holding one of Helena's hands in her own.

The brunette felt her presence and half opened her eyes.

"Hi, sweetie." The redhead smiled at her. "I'm glad you are back."

Sleepy blue eyes fixed on her.

"That was a serious electric shock you received." Barbara caressed her cheek with the back of her fingers. "You are recovering fast, but you need rest."

Barbara noticed the young woman was trying to move her hand to the breather. She smiled, Helena hated that thing. She removed it carefully, lifting her head.

"It's just to help you to breathe better," Barbara explained, "But I think you are doing fine and we can take it out."

"Thanks," Helena said in a barely inaudible voice. "The people?"

"All are safe, no one was hurt. How do you feel?"

The young woman closed her eyes, she felt so tired. "Like shit."

"Just rest, I'll be here."

There was a few seconds of silence before the brunette mumbled low, "He almost fried me, huh?"

"Don't say that…" Barbara's fingers traced the brunette's lips. "You scared me."

The young woman winced. "Everything hurts…"

The redhead turned toward the night table and took a syringe. "Oh, I'm sorry, I was going to give you a bit of morphine, some of your body is burned." She took the IV connected to the young woman's arm and buried the needle in the tube. "This will make you feel better."

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to that cool hotel close to the beach this weekend," the brunette whispered, opening her eyes to look at the redhead.

"It's not a good idea right now." Barbara removed the needle from the IV. "Your burns need to heal."

"I was not thinking of leaving the room…"

Barbara chuckled. "Later, we have a lot of time. The important thing is for you to recover soon."

Blue eyes fixed on her a few seconds on silence.

"If I'm dreaming I don't want to wake up." Helena finally said with a whisper.

"I don't understand."

"You, here with me…" the young woman pressed her fingers lightly "holding my hand… saying you love me… Remember the day I said I love you?""

The red head nodded.

"I didn't want to hurt you. But I have loved you since then. You told me then that I was confused, but I wasn't. All that talk about those girls... all those girls because I didn't want you to push me away, knowing I couldn't stop loving you. I tried, Barbara, I tried to forget you, but I couldn't. My heart has always belonged to you."

Barbara took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Hel. Do you understand that I couldn't love you then? You were just a kid."

"Yes." The brunette felt her eyes getting heavy.

"I don't know when I fell in love with you…" Barbara said, brushing the dark hair off the woman's forehead. "But I did… I just realized one day that you were no longer a kid, you had transformed into a beautiful woman that knew how make me laugh, that knew all my secrets, all my weaknesses and was always there. And I thought, then, that you had forgotten me, as I saw your crazy nights and thousands of conquest."

"I was trying to forget you."

"I'm glad you didn't manage to do it." The redhead moved forward and gave her a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'm feeling much better now." Helena mumbled, half asleep. "Can you do that again?"

Barbara smiled and leaned in again to kiss her gently. "I love you," she said, moving back.

"I love you too….I'm tired," the young woman whispered, closing her eyes.

"Sleep." Barbara caressed her cheek with her fingers until she noticed that her young lover had fallen asleep again.

* * *

Barbara walked down the street, she had a lunch appointment with her father. They usually had lunch two or three times per month. She enjoyed the time she spent with her dad. He was a wise man and always supported her. She was happy to see him, but today… today she felt nervous, nervous to see him.

Her heart beat faster in her chest as she neared the restaurant where she would meet him.

She would tell him today, he was very open minded, but she was not sure how he would react to her confession.

She and Helena were together now. They had been together for several weeks and everything had been wonderful. It had all been so easy, they really shared so many things and always had something to talk about.

She loved her, she always had loved her and being with her was even more wonderful that she ever thought. She was her soul mate.

She noticed her dad was sitting close to the window, he waved a hand. She smiled lightly at him.

She took a deep breath, it was time.

The cyber genius thought that it would be best to wait until the end of the lunch to tell him. They enjoyed a pleasant and nice afternoon talking about many topics. She laughed, he always made her laugh so much.

"How is the foundation going?" Jim Gordon asked, taking his glass of scotch in his hand.

"Pretty good, Dad. I'm developing a project in South America," the redhead said, finishing her dessert and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I think I must travel there next month."

"That sounds interesting."

"The prehispanic cultures are wonderful. Sometimes I ask myself what would have happened if Spain had never arrived in America."

"Why?" He put his glass on the table.

"Ancient cultures made incredible advances in science, farms, organization, they understood weather. Before the conquest, in 1519, there were 22 million Indian people, in 1629 there were less than a million. They destroyed a great culture."

"Well, that's true."

"Dad…" she paused and took a sip of water, "I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure," he said crossing his fingers over the table. "And I assume that is the thing that has had you uncomfortable all afternoon."

"Uncomf…?"

"You have been really tense throughout our meal, Babs." He winked at her "I know you. What is worrying you?"

She took a deep breath. The time had come… man, why did she felt like a damn kid caught stealing the cookies from a jar?

"I'm dating someone," she said.

"That's it?" He played with his chin between his fingers. "Well, I'm happy for you. Who is the lucky guy? Dick again?"

"Well… it's not exactly a he…"

He lifted his brow. He knew about Barbara's open mindedness about sexuality, but she'd never talked with him seriously about one of her relationships. He just remembered Dick and another guy called Tim. Now he understood her nervousness.

"Oh… I see…" He moved his head. "That was why you are so nervous… I don't want be rude Barbara, but if this is so uncomfortable for you, why do you want to talk about this with me?"

"It's not uncomfortable for me, Dad," she said. "I'm really happy with he… with her…."

"Something you regret then?"

"No, I am happier than I have ever been before. I want to talk to you because for me it's a serious relationship... not just another newspaper gossip column fling and I would really like to get your approval."

"You are old enough to do whatever you want," he said, taking his scotch glass and leaning back in his chair. "You know that?"

"Yes, I know, but you are important to me too, and I would love to get your approval." Barbara bit her lips.

"Are you talking about a fiancé?" He lifted his brow.

The redhead laughed. "Not exactly… I've known this person a long time and…" she lowered her head, "I thought I loved her, but I couldn't accept it, I refused to believe it…I denied what I was feeling."

"Why?"

Green eyes fixed on pale blue ones. It was hard to explain, but she needed to be open. "I felt guilty… I thought it was wrong and I thought the person would never see me. Then, I discovered she shared the same feelings for me," Barbara paused, her eyes couldn't hide a bright happiness. "Looking back now, I realize she always loved me, but I never saw it because I was trying to hide my own feelings."

"Why are you so sure she is the right person?"

"I feel it, Dad," Barbara tried to explain. "I just enjoy every moment I'm with her and I miss her when she is far away. She is funny, marvelous, she has always been there for me, she knows me better than anyone, she knows all my secrets and thoughts… but… she is not like me, she is different, sometimes unpredictable, rebellious, annoying, grumpy… but she is very sweet with me and she always takes care of me."

Jim chuckled and crossed his arms over the table. "You hate being dependent on anyone, why now do you like that she takes care of you?"

"Because she makes me feel loved, not useless." A smile slipped across the redhead's face.

"And I know her, right?"

The redhead nodded. "And I would be happy if you approve of it."

"Are you afraid that I won't approve?" His fingers played with the side of his glass.

She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Why Babs?" Jim asked to her.

"Because she is a woman. Your opinion is important to me, you are my dad, I respect your opinion and…" she looked at him, "I love you and… I want to share my happiness with you, so you can be part of it."

He looked at her in silence for long seconds. Barbara felt the weight of his gaze on her and she looked at him straight in his eyes.

"I will understand if you don't approve," she said with firm voice, "but I really want you to know that this is important to me and that I want you to share my happiness."

"Who is she?"

"Helena."

"I should have known," he said sighing, "Who else could be grumpy and annoying?" His eyes fixed on her. "Are you really in love with that girl? She is the complete opposite of you."

"Yes."

"Helena loves you?"

"Yes."

"I always thought that girl would marry a punk guy…" He scratched his head. "Listen, Babs, she is funny and smart, I enjoy when we play cards at my house or go out to dinner… But, think about it, you love books, being at home. You love culture, classical music, museums, you don't drink… Helena likes wild parties, heavy music, she drinks… she is opposite of you. Do you think this will really work?"

"Yes, we have a lot common," she smiled to herself, "much more than you can imagine and maybe our differences in tastes are what make our relationship attractive to each other."

"You know what I think about that crazy hard head, right? She never listens to anyone." Jim crossed his arms across his chest.

Barbara knew from his reaction that things wouldn't be smooth as she wanted. Jim had always scolded her for being so soft on Helena; he always thought she was very wild and crazy with an incredible attraction to trouble.

"I know, Dad." Barbara said. "I accept her as she is, as she accepts me. I'm lucky because Helena has let me see how big her heart is, how big her soul is, she has been hurt, Dad… and she has hidden her feelings, she doesn't want to be hurt again. She let me see inside her, she opened her heart to me and all I can say is that she is wonderful."

He kept staring at her in silence.

Barbara nodded and took a deep breath before continuing. It seemed she couldn't convince him, but she was not going to renounce her love now that she finally had found it. "But I understand if you don't approve."

He leaned forward and rested his hand on hers. "I'm an old man, Babs, and it's still a little weird to see couples of the same sex, but… above all things, above all my believes, first is you, my love for you. And if this makes you happy, I would to love support you on this. I always have done it, right?"

"Yes."

"If she is the one that will make you be happy, I'll love her forever."

"Thanks, Dad." She couldn't hold herself back and stood up to hug him.

"She is a damn stubborn hard head, but…" he patted her back, hugging her back , "she plays pool very well and we still have a match this Saturday."

"Dad!" she frowned at him and moved back "Were you two betting again?"

"Twenty dollars is twenty dollars."

"I'll kill her. I told her not to do it anymore."

"I told you she never listens." He took his cigar to light it. "And you can't say anything to her."

"Why not?"

"You told me you accept her as she is, so don't try to cancel our match."

"But…" green eyes blinked.

"I just can't understand how you two could fall in love with each other." He scratched his head. "She is the female version of a playboy and she is stubborn, obstinate and has a strange taste for dark clothes and heavy metal, with no interest in school and books. You are bright, sunny, a lover of classical music and arts, smart, intelligent, and sometimes a nerd that loves to have her face buried in a pile of books."

"Yes…" the redhead laughed lightly. "It's hard to explain…"

"And how long have you two been living together?"

"We are not living together, Dad." Barbara blushed. "We are, we are just trying to make this work."

"Oh… I see, but…. It's working, or am I wrong?"

"Yes." The redhead smiled. "It's working."

"Let me ask again, "Jim said. "How long have you been together trying to make this work?"

"Two months. I… didn't tell you before because I wanted to be sure…"

"You?" He took his glass. "You never take a step if you are not sure beforehand." He puffed his cigar. "Well, I guess I need to invite you two to lunch at my beach house."

"Lunch?"

"Well, I know that strong head in her juvenile delinquent mood. I want to know her in her 'formal' version…" he laughed. "I can't imagine her yet."

"That would be nice, Dad." She moved forward and hugged him. She loved this man so much.

"All right," he patted her back. "What about weekend?"

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**TBC**


	32. This is love

**Thanks so much for all your feedback this weeks and I'm glad to see this place is coming back to life, looks sad with no one giving feedback or asking what they will like to read. Will be nice read more fics of BG, Ocean, Erin, Jinx, Janine, North,Teh_no, etc., etc.**

**Thanks so much too to my editor Nightstorm for all her comments and suggestions. She really its a great friend and excellent buddy. LYOU night!**

**I hope people wake up and start it writing again. Have a nice day guys and thanks again for your company.**

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Helena's eyes snapped open. "This weekend?"

"He wants to see you." Barbara finished typing on her keyboard at the Delphi. "It's done."

"Why does he want to see me?"

"It was his idea. I talked to him about you and me, I didn't want him to find out in the newspaper. He was very nice to invite us to lunch."

"Do you think I have to ask him for your hand?" Helena leaned on the desk close to the redhead, she had just woken up a few minutes ago.

"No." Barbara opened a window on her screen.

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to give him a heart attack."

The brunette crossed her arms and looked at the clock gear while Barbara kept working on her computer. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You are not going to refuse his invitation when he is just trying to be nice to us." Barbara lowered her eyeglasses and turned to look at her.

"I mean, Barbara… do you think he will be fine with…" Helena waved her hand, "you and me?"

"He accepted it very well."

"Really?"

Barbara put the arm of her eyeglasses in her mouth and chewed it before continuing. "Yes. Now, maybe you can explain to me why you are playing pool with my dad…."

"He plays very well." The brunette shrugged her shoulders.

"…And betting…"

"Oh… that…" The dark haired vigilante was in trouble. She gazed at the redhead, noticing the glare. It was not a good thing.

"Yes, that…"

"Well…" the brunette tried to think of a good excuse "We were playing and drinking some beers and…"

"I asked you not to bet anymore." The red head turned her chair and opened a first aid kit box close to her over the desk. "Now sit, I need check your hands."

"I was trying to be nice!" the brunette sat on the desk behind her.

"How could you be nice if you are betting?"

"Well, he asked me if I wanted to bet and I said yes."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Don't do it again."

"All right, I promise not to make anymore bets." Helena lifted her hand.

"That includes the game this Saturday?" a red brow lifted.

"I promised not to make anymore bets." Helena waved her hands. "I have to uphold all my deals made before today."

Green eyes locked on her.

"All right, all right, let me talk to him…" Helena said.

"Good. I'll pick you up at twelve tomorrow. Now, Could you please stop moving?" Barbara asked as she tried to treat Helena's hands.

!-- /* Font Definitions */ font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ , , {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; mso-ansi-language:ES-MX;} page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} 1 {page:Section1;} -- "It itches…" Helena complained.

"I know," the redhead sympathized, finishing the application of a burn cream to the brunette's hands. She took a bandage off the table. "How do you feel?"

"Like an idiot."

"Why?"

"Well, I was with you in your bed and I slept all night. Is that not stupid? Being with someone like you and just sleeping."

"Well, you were healing." Barbara smiled, wrapping the bandage around the brunette's left hand. "It was a hard fight."

"You let me sleep too much. It's almost four o'clock."

"You needed rest."

"I can't remember anything."

"Don't worry, nothing important happened."

"I warn you. You will not be safe next time." The brunette leaned toward her.

Green eyes looked at her quizzically. "And you are talking about…?"

The brunette grinned and purred. "About you not sleeping next time I'm with you in your bed."

"That sounds wonderful." Barbara moved forward and pressed her lips against Helena's. "You worried me so much last night."

The young woman opened her mouth to the older woman and let her tongue trace the redhead's with soft, tender movements showing her deep love for her.

When the older woman moved back breathlessly, she rested her forehead over her young partner's. Helena's eyes were closed and she remained motionless, still lost in the pleasure of the kiss. The redhead smiled and took the right hand of the other woman kissing her fingers.

"Can you do that again?" Helena whispered with her eyes closed.

"I have work to do," the redhead said, finishing bandaging the young woman's hand.

"Work on me," the brunette purred leaning forward.

"Don't be silly." Barbara laughed.

"I love when you work on me," Helena rubbed her cheek against Barbara's, "and I love to work on you."

The movement sent chills over the older woman's body, "Stay still." Barbara pushed her back gently. She closed the bandage on Helena's hand. "I need to finish this and you are healing."

"Forget it…" Helena trapped her lips and moved to sit on Barbara's lap with her knees on each side of her legs. "It can't wait…."

The redhead was lost in that wonderful kiss. Helena was an expert in the art of kissing, she couldn't deny it. She was the only person who could make her forget the world around her with the touch of her mouth.

"You are so beautiful," she mumbled between kisses. "I love when you smile… When you laugh."

Barbara felt that talented mouth moving toward her neck, nibbling and teasing, she didn't realize when or how Helena had opened her blouse. She noticed it when she felt the rough texture of the bandage covering the brunette's hands over her breast.

"I love how you look at me…" Helena whispered, "how you smell, how you taste… I want you." she licked the redhead's neck.

Barbara closed her eyes and cupped the younger woman's neck. She tried to concentrate and break the spell that her lover was having on her; she still had a lot of work to do, but it was impossible think straight. The seduction by Helena was like a wave of passion that no one could stop.

How was she to stop the force of nature that was Helena?

Sharp teeth were at her throat, making her tremble in pleasure; her hand moved to the younger woman's chest. A small portion of her mind that was coherent warned her. They were in the lab, anyone could walk inside and catch them in a very embarrassing position.

"Helena?" she mumbled, trying to pull back, but the young woman growled and kept nibbling at her neck.

"He… we can't… here…." Barbara babbled.

The brunette just purred and kissed her sternum.

"… Alfred… Dinah…"

"I'm busy," the young woman mumbled, licking her skin behind her ear while her hands gently kneaded the redhead's breast.

Barbara closed her eyes and gasped in pleasure. When had the brunette opened her blouse? "…They… they might come in…" she said, trying to organize her thoughts as she crossed her arms around her neck.

The brunette kissed her and moved her arms behind the redhead to lift her. Barbara wrapped her legs around her waist.

"All right," Helena grinned before leaning in to kiss her again. "Let's go."

She hit the redhead's back against the wall and Barbara laughed. "Hey, careful…"

"Hard to think and walk while kissing you."

"Better learn…" Barbara smiled and moved forward to gently bite her neck.

"Don't … don't do that…" Helena mumbled.

"Why not?" the redhead whispered, licking her throat. "You taste wonderful."

The brunette stumbled inside the elevator and hit one of the walls again. Both giggled.

After a few minutes, Helena was able to get inside Barbara's room. She closed the door behind them and, taunting with her hand, she locked it. Barbara moved her legs down. The sound of fabric ripping was a signal to Helena that she needed to buy yet another blouse. Crap, if Barbara kept doing this, she would soon need another job just to buy new clothes. Barbara was pulling Helena's sweats down as Helena helped the redhead to remove her own pants. The remains of her blouse flew to the floor in a blink.

Barbara turned her young lover to face the door. She pressed herself behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. Enjoying the sensation of Helena's nude back against her chest, she closed her eyes. She smelled faintly of shampoo over still damp hair. Nuzzling her hair aside, she kissed the back of her neck. Lovingly, Helena put her hands over hers and leaned her head back against Barbara's shoulder, feeling overwhelmed by the sensation of Barbara's core pressing against her butt, by the feeling of hard nipples against her back.

Barbara ran her hands up the brunette's body toward her breasts, Helena moaned in pleasure and pushed her back against Barbara. The redhead cupped her breasts and kneaded gently as she kissed her neck and began to rock her hips against Helena's.

After long minutes of the sinuous and silent dance, Barbara turned her so Helena was facing her. The young woman found herself gently backed against the wall.

"Beautiful…" Barbara mumbled as their lips met.

Helena's hands caressed the older woman's back before lowering her hands stroke her bottom, gently grasping and squeezing her. Barbara searched for Helena's hands and lifted her arms over her head where she could hold both of her wrists pinned to the wall, seeking to take control.

"Cuffs again?" Helena smiled breathlessly.

"Naah… I don't need them now." Pinning the young woman's hands to the wall with one hand, the redhead kissed her again and she let her free hand fall. Barbara's hand cupped a breast, squeezing it possessively, finding the nipple and pinching it.

Helena whimpered, and Barbara pressed her chest against hers and dropped her hand toward her ass cheeks. Still holding her arms pinned to the wall, Barbara kissed her eye lids, her nose, her chin. She kissed her way down her neck and throat and trapped one of the brunette's breasts in her mouth. She bit it gently before enveloping it with her mouth and sucking hard. Helena growled.

She reached her nipples, she released her pinned wrists so that she could use both hands to cup her breasts as she alternated kisses and sucking between them. Helena's hands wrapped around Barbara`s head and closed her eyes, cradling her, pressing her against her chest to feel that mouth more firmly on her nipples.

She didn't know how she suddenly had her back on the bed and Barbara lying atop her.

"You are so beautiful," Barbara mumbled, lying beside the brunette and trapping her lips again in a tender, soft kiss.

Helena let her hands regally trace the redhead's body, fingertips mapping the older woman's trim and fit body, obviously the result of arduous exercising and good genetics. Her hand caressed her well formed breasts.

Her thoughts were cut when Barbara's lips locked on hers again.

Barbara hand trapped one of her breasts. The feeling was wonderful.

Helena's fingers moved toward the redhead's torso and opened her blouse with a rough movement, buttons flew everywhere.

Barbara arched her back and gasped when Helena's mouth found her nipple. Her warm mouth enveloped her gently-- lapping, licking, and nibbling. With her left hand, she began to knead the other breast. Long fingers buried in her head pressing her against the soft mound. A low growl escaped her chest in pleasure.

She laved the nipple that had hardened under her touch and she moved toward the other breast to repeat the oral assault.

She lost herself for long minutes until she pushed up, supporting herself on her arms, and kissed the redhead softly on her lips. She lowered herself slowly to bring their chests into contact, nipple against nipple. The sensation was overwhelming and both moaned.

The brunette rubbed her body sinuously above her. Barbara knew that her body was moving with an instinct all its own. Thinking was no longer an option.

"I love you…" the young woman whispered.

Barbara pulled her against her roughly to steal another deep kiss as she felt the brunette moving her legs to rock her core against her thigh.

Helena adjusted her other leg and pressed it against soft red curls.

Barbara closed her eyes when her hand cupped Helena's breast, she growled at the sensation of nipples growing hard against her palm. The sensation was incredible, the feeling of that strong, firm body over her, mixed with the sweet scent of Helena ignited the redhead's senses.

They began dancing to erotic, silent music, enjoying the mating of their bodies, the sound of slick skin against slick skin.

Helena's lips traced her navel. Helena moved up slowly, tracing, mapping each corner of Barbara's skin with her tongue. The redhead suddenly found deep violent eyes regarding her. Both were breathing heavily.

"You are so beautiful…" Helena mumbled, taking one of the redhead's hands and guiding it to her breast.

She squeezed hard and Helena cried in pleasure.

The brunette began to rock her hips against Barbara with slow movements.

"Don't stop," Barbara grunted.

The brunette growled and kept the pace of her hips. She was lost in the sensations of her lover under her, hearing her soft moans of passion under her touch. The redhead wrapped her arms around her back and she increased the movement of her hips.

Helena trapped her lips in a hard, rough kiss and moved her hand down to find a warm heaven. The redhead hissed in pleasure and bit her lover's shoulder. Helena moved her fingers forward and soon Barbara was rocking her hand.

It felt wonderful, the warmth of Barbara's sex against her hand, the sound of sweaty bodies moving against each other.

Helena twisted her fingers, Barbara was riding her with passion, she found herself trapped by the intensity of green eyes that were almost black. Barbara begged for more, and she moved a third finger inside her.

She felt the orgasm coming just watching her lover so lost in pleasure, she began to rub her aching sex harder against the redhead's leg.

And suddenly…

Suddenly, everything was bright as a powerful, incredible orgasm hit each nerve of her body making her cry the name of the woman she adored so much…

And then…. silence….

Both woman remained locked in a warm embrace for long minutes. Barbara didn't think she'd ever felt as relaxed and happy in her whole life. She wrapped her arms around the thin body and kissed the dark head resting on her chest.

Helena stirred and moved her face up. She kissed the redhead's chin. Barbara tilted her head down to press their lips together.

"I still want you..." the brunette mumbled.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Barbara chuckled and rolled Helena over her on back to lie on top of her. "But now, it's my turn.…"

"Bath tub?" Helena lifted her eyebrow, grinning.

Barbara smirked and gave her a fast kiss on her lips. "Deal… come with me…"

-

* * *

-

Helena felt more nervous than she'd ever thought she could be. She had spent more than two hours choosing what to wear. Finally, she thought she'd dress normally, Jim Gordon had known her since she was a kid. She went to buy a good bottle of scotch, knowing it was his favorite liqueur and, after checking her appearance in the mirror for almost a half an hour, she was ready an hour before Barbara picked her up. She waited impatiently at her apartment, tapping her fingers against the couch arm.

Maybe she needed to change furniture… and buy new sheets. Maybe it would be a good idea to clean the kitchen too. Yeah, if she invited Barbara here some day, this was not exactly a place for her. It was a typical bachelor apartment. Yeah, she needed change to redecorate, too, and remove all those hot posters with girls in wet t-shirts washing cars or on the beach.

Finally, the redhead arrived and she drove to her father's house. Barbara noticed Helena was really tense and stiff, she barely said a word and she kept taking deep breaths.

Barbara smiled. Her always confident partner was as nervous as a teenager on her first date. It was so sweet. She rested her index finger on her head and her elbow on the door at her side.

"Breathe, Hel." She said, "Everything will be okay."

"Do you think?" the young woman asked, arranging her blouse.

"Stop doing that." Barbara put her hand over Helena's. "You have fixed your blouse five times in the last ten minutes. "It's just my dad."

"I'm not sure if I look okay," Helena said looking at her clothes. "Maybe I should choose a different outfit."

"You are perfect." The redhead parked the hummer in front of her father's house.

"Really?"

The redhead laughed "Helena, you are very nervous. We've had lunch with him many times."

Helena took a deep breath and stared at the window. "Barbara, this is different."

"Why different?"

"Maybe you don't understand… I've never gone to any of my girlfriend's house to have a meal with her parents."

Barbara's smile disappeared. "What are you trying to say?"

"When you go to your girlfriend's parents' house, things are serious." Helena waved her hands. "It's a commitment. I always ran away from that."

The redhead moved her head and bit her lower lip. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the brunette. "I see… so. Is that what bothers you? That I think that our relationship is serious?"

"No, no…"

"Helena, do you see this thing between us as just a game?"

"I would never see you as a game," Helena protested. Barbara was misunderstanding "I have dreamed of being with you for years. I never went to my girlfriend's homes because none of them interested me. You are the only one, you always have been, but…"

"But?"

"I'm afraid he won't accept me."

"Why do you think that?" Barbara looked at her.

"Well, he is not exactly the president of my fan club. You know I was a real nuisance when I was a teenager and I have pissed him off many times." She sighed "Maybe he thinks I'm not the best for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Barbara, look at me," the young woman fixed her eyes on her, "I barely finished high school, I'm just a bartender… You are around many important people, rich people, smart people that would die to be with you… I don't have anything to offer you. I can barely pay my rent each month and…"

The redhead removed her seat belt and turned to the young woman. She trapped her lips and kissed her with everything she had, demanding, taking, not giving the brunette time to think or react. After long seconds, she moved back leaving Helena breathless.

"I love you," Barbara said, her eyes inches from hers, "above all people, above all things, it's you that I want. Don't start talking saying things like that because you will seriously piss me off, got it?"

The young woman nodded.

"Good." The redhead opened her door. "Now, just be you and let's go."

Helena exhaled loudly and nodded.

"Come on, let's go."

They walked toward Jim's house. Helena never head felt her heart beat so fast in her life. The time between Barbara pressing the doorbell and Jim opening the door, was long, excruciating. She felt her knees trembling when he appeared in the doorway, and felt like an ant. Jim might be an old man, but he was tall and big. Barbara gave him an enthusiastic hug and a kiss on his cheek.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hi, sweetheart."

"I brought dessert," she said.

"Excellent, come in."

She smiled and stepped inside.

Helena swallowed. He had always impressed her, since she was a kid. He had a strong personality and she felt her blood pumping on her ears. He stared at her with a serious expression that made her want to disappear.

Dammit. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

"Hi, Jim," she said with a hoarse voice and coughed, trying to clear her throat.

He stared at her with his cold expression, unmoving.

"Dad!" Barbara shouted from inside the house.

"I'm in the role of your protective father. What's the problem?" He put his hand on his waist and turned to look inside his house.

"She is nervous enough," Barbara said. "Stop doing that."

"Come on! She is never afraid of anyone," he shouted back. He turned and smiled at the brunette and patted her back. "Come in, Helena, I was joking, I'm glad to see you again."

The young woman smiled nervously and walked inside. Jim closed the door behind her. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

"Anything would be fine, sir," she said.

Jim smirked and walked toward his bar, "From your face, you need something really strong. Sit." He looked at her bandaged hands. "Hey, what happened to you?"

"Uhh…" the brunette hesitated, "Cooking?"

"Man, you two need to hire someone to help you in the kitchen before you kill each other." He walked toward the bar.

"Dad, that was evil," Barbara whispered to him when he passed close to her. "I told you she is nervous, don't do your 'commander in chief' face again."

"Oh, it was fun," Jim smiled. "You should have seen her face. Ten seconds more and she would have peed in her pants."

"Shut up, Dad."

-

* * *

-

Barbara and Helena chose to spend a nice Sunday at the ClockTower. Dinah had gone on a camping trip with her school friends and it was Alfred's day off. They watched TV in the living room on the couch. It was nice to spend a day just doing nothing and watching the movies they couldn't see at the cinema.

The redhead was resting her back on Helena, who had her arms wrapped around her waist.

"I don't see the fascination with this movie…" Barbara mumbled, taking the DVD box of "Watchmen" to check it.

"X-Men is better."

"Agreed… Did I tell you that that my dad called me yesterday? He said he would like us to go to the beach house again, at the end of the month."

"Really?"

Barbara chuckled. "I told you he is not so difficult, you survived."

"Yeah…" Helena nodded, "but I thought for a second he would kill me."

Barbara laughed. "You know him. How could you think that?"

"His 'confess or I'll kick your ass' look scares anyone."

"It's hard to believe that the great Huntress," Barbara said dramatically, "the terror of criminals, the vigilante of the night would be scared of a retired, old man."

"It's not any man, it's your dad. Dads scare me."

"He was very nice with us." Barbara turned to look at the brunette. "Hel, I was thinking."

"About?"

"I need to go to South America next month."

"You? Why?"

"Yes, I'm going to develop a new program for children."

"Sounds interesting."

"I 'll be gone for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Helena frowned, the idea of Barbara being far away was not pleasant, but she was not going to change her life or her routine at work, she loved her as she was and for how she helped other people. She could use her free time to redecorate her place and organize it to make it more comfortable.

"Yes." Barbara rested her head on the brunette's chest, her index finger traced a soft line on the brunette's arm. "And I'm worried about you."

"About me? Why?" The brunette lowered her head, looking for green eyes.

"I'm afraid that when all the girls in New Gotham know that you will be free for a couple of weeks, they will try to conquest you again." Barbara lifted her face and brushed her lips against Helena's jaw.

The touch sent shivers through the brunette's body. "No way…." she chuckled and kissed Barbara's nose. "May I remind you that I'm now practicing monogamy?"

"You are very hot. I prefer to keep an eye on what it's mine." The redhead twisted in Helena's arms and searched for her lips.

"Mine?" the dark haired woman mumbled through the tender kiss. "That sounds pretty possessive."

"Is it bad?"

"No… I love it."

Barbara broke the kiss, moving back a few inches. She looked at her younger partner and asked seriously, "What if you come with me?"

Helena didn't know what to answer for an instant. "You are joking, right?" She lifted her brow.

"No."

"I would love it, but I don't think Leonard will like the idea…"

"Forget Leonard," Barbara said, brushing her lips against the brunette again. "If he starts annoying you, I'll buy the bar and fire him."

Helena moved her fingers through long red hairs. "You wouldn't do that…" She loved her so much, she didn't need anything else in the world. Now she felt full of life and alive, she couldn't believe how lucky she was.

"Try me." A red brow lifted in challenge.

"Mmm…. South America?"

"Samba, beach… wild nights."

"You are convincing me…" Helena grinned.

"Carnival, brazilian girls, hot bodies…"

Blue eyes sparkled.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Forget the brazilian girls."

"Why? Sounds attractive."

"Because I want you all to myself." The redhead sat up on her lap and crossed her arms around her neck.

The brunette kissed her softly, slowly. She melted when she felt Barbara opening to her and shivered when the redhead's tongue touched her own. The strokes were slow and tender, both took their time to map, to taste each other.

"Will you stay?" Barbara mumbled over the kiss.

"Dinah will be back this afternoon…" Helena whispered. "Could you leave your window open?"

"Yes…"

"And could you please lock your birdarangs inside your drawer?"

Barbara couldn't suppress a laugh and broke the kiss. "All right, sweetie. Anything else?"

"Uhhh... Yes…" the young woman said. "Can we do something about Batgirl?"

"About Batgirl? Barbara cocked her head in confusion.

"Well, yes… you know…"

"No, I don't know." The redhead leaned in to kiss the brunette's neck.

"Well," Helena swallowed, feeling her skin burning, "she is a pretty rough…"

"Don't you like rough?" Barbara's teeth gently bit the soft skin under her mouth.

"No… yes… yes…" Helena hissed, "but… with her fixation with the handcuffs, I can't touch you!!"

Barbara took Helena's hands in her own and moved back to kiss her fingers. "I don't see the problem…."

"Because you are not the one that's trapped."

Barbara smiled and lowered their joined hands to move forward and kiss the brunette. Helena loved the way she kissed, it was like melting in a warm cocoon.

Suddenly, she heard a 'click' sound. She moved back and looked at her hands.

"What the f…?"

"Have I told you that I love to cuff you?" Barbara smirked.

"Oh come on, Barbara!"

"Shut up and kiss me," the redhead laughed and trapped her lips again in a rough kiss. "I have long term plans for you today."

"Long term?" Helena panted when she was finally able to break the kiss

"Oh yes."

"All right… I guess I can live with this." She lifted her cuffed hands and moved them around Barbara's neck. She pulled her against her to kiss her again.

-

**THE END.**


End file.
